“It is easy to backstab…” - Shreyas Iyer opens up after steering PBKS to top two in IPL 2025

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer has opened up on head coach Ricky Ponting after propelling the franchise to top two in the standings, defeating the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday, May 26.

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Iyer thanked Ponting for giving him the freedom and allowing him to express himself on the field as PBKS sealed the playoff spot for the first time since 2014. Earlier in IPL 2024, Iyer also steered KKR to playoffs and eventually they emerged as the title winner.

"The camaraderie has been there for the past few years between Ricky and I, he gives me a lot of freedom. He lets me be decisive on the field, all these things have culminated in a great way," Iyer said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"Every individual stepped up at the right time. Starting from game one, we've been in the mindset of wanting to win despite the situation. We've had players putting their hands up when we were in the dumps. Kudos to support staff and management too,” he added.

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"Ricky has been fantastic with player management, it's important for me to get trust too. That happened with the wins early on. Had conversations with them too. You have to maintain good relationships throughout. I feel the dressing room has been top notch throughout. When you are down in the dumps, it is easy to backstab each other," he stated.

Moving into the details of the game, Mumbai Indians were tasked to bat first after losing the toss. Suryakumar Yadav came to the team's rescue yet again, scoring 57 in 39 balls with six fours and two sixes as MI eventually posted 184/7 in 20 overs.

Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen and Vijaykumar Vyshak scalped two wickets apiece. In the chase, Priyansh Arya and Josh Inglis looked exceptionally well. 

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While Arya smacked 62 in 35 balls with nine fours and two sixes, Inglis scored 73 in 42 with nine fours and three sixes to win the player of the match award. Eventually, PBKS finished off the game in 18.3 overs with seven wickets in hand.

"The way Priyansh started was fabulous, young players are fearless. They tick the boxes in the nets, the effects of the prep are now showing on the field,” he observed.

"Inglis is the only player whose position has been chopping and changing. Since he loves playing the new ball, I wanted him to play more deliveries. It worked wonders. We know he's destructive and a big-match player with a great attitude," he concluded.

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