Punjab Kings (PBKS) pulled off a surprising victory against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, moving to the second spot in the IPL 2025 points table. In a match shortened by rain, PBKS restricted RCB to just 95/9.
Tim David’s unbeaten 50 off 26 balls was the only highlight for RCB, as Punjab’s bowlers were on fire. Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harpreet Brar each took two wickets, with Xavier Bartlett taking one.
Iyer’s praise for Chahal
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer showers praise for Yuzvendra Chahal, calling him a match-winner and the best bowler in IPL so far. “I told him you are a match-winner and you need to get us wickets as much as possible. You don’t need to be safe in your approach and he has got the capability of bouncing back. That’s what we appreciate of him as a leggie. Probably he is the best bowler in the IPL so far,” Iyer said.
Iyer’s game plan
Iyer also shared insights into his bowling strategy. He believes that a team should experience all the surface and this brings challenge to the bowlers. He believes that it is necessary to not let any batter settle on the pitch to continue to moment. “As they say, variety is the spice of life. We are able to experience all kinds of games over here. It is a great challenge. There was no thinking to be honest.” he added.
Adapting to the Pitch
Iyer talks about the importance of hard length balls, noting, “Marco was able to extract a little bit of bounce on this wicket. He was bowling lethal. He basically steadied the ship. And the rest of the bowlers helped him. To be honest, we didn’t know how the wicket was going to play and I personally feel the bowlers they adapted according to it.” Arshdeep Singh confirmed that hard length balls were tough to hit, as no fast bowler had given away a six down the ground.
Nehal Wadhera played a crucial role in Punjab’s chase, smashing 33 not out. Iyer praised him, saying, “Yes, absolutely, you need one batsman to take the charge. Nehal was brilliant in his approach today. The attitude was top-notch. I hope he continues the same form.”
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