Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), made an unusual statement regarding his star spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, following their incredible 16-run victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Mullanpur on April 15. During their bowling innings, Iyer disclosed that he asked Chahal to regulate his breathing when he noticed the pitch spinning.
In the match against KKR, PBKS achieved one of the most unlikely comeback wins in IPL history.
The PBKS bowlers put on an outstanding display to dismiss KKR for a meager 95 in 15.1 overs after they had only managed to score 111 in 15.3 overs with the bat. Yuzvendra Chahal, a leg-spinner who has been out of form, gave PBKS a huge 4/28 in four overs to save the victory.
The 116 Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defended against PBKS in 2009 was surpassed by this lowest total in IPL history.
During the post-match presentation, Iyer talked about the incredible victory and stated (via Cricbuzz):
“It is hard to express in words. I was just backing my instincts. I saw the ball turn a bit, asked Yuzi to control his breathing a bit. We needed to be attacking and the right players were in the right places. It is tough to talk right now and such wins make it special.”
Shreyas Iyer
As PBKS joyfully celebrated one of the most incredible victories in IPL history, Chahal won Player of the Match for his spell that won the match.
“Important we stay humble and not get over-hyped with this win” – Shreyas Iyer
In spite of the incredible victory over KKR, Shreyas Iyer advised his team to be balanced. In their previous match against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), PBKS had just given up the second-highest successful run-chase (246) in IPL history.
“When we saw Yuzi came in and turn the ball, our hopes and expectations were higher and I wanted the field to be attacking and right in front of their face so that they make mistakes and the tide turned towards us. It is important we stay humble and not get over-hyped with this win. It is important we take all the positives from this game and try to execute from ball one in the next game.”
Shreyas Iyer
PBKS advanced to fourth place in the IPL 2025 points standings with the victory over KKR, their fourth in six games. Their upcoming matchup against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, April 18, is a fast turnaround.
