Shreyas Iyer is the new Virat Kohli! Ex-KKR star makes an outrageous claim

Former India opener Aakash Chopra praised Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer after his match-winning performance against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026. The cricketer-turned-commentator called Shreyas a modern chase master and compared his recent performances in big run chases to Virat Kohli.

Punjab Kings outplayed Mumbai Indians to secure a dominant seven-wicket victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, April 16. Chasing a 196-run target, Shreyas Iyer and opening batter Prabhsimran Singh produced a phenomenal partnership to wrap up the contest with 21 deliveries remaining.

He Is The New Chase Master - Aakash Chopra Lauds Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer scored 66 off 35 balls, hitting five fours and four sixes against the Mumbai Indians. After his third straight successful chase, Aakash Chopra stated that the Punjab Kings captain consistently finishes high-pressure matches.

"He is the new chase master. We talk about Virat Kohli. If we are attaching someone else's name with him, it's an achievement in itself, but the truth is that his numbers are like his. He has an average of 65 and a strike rate of 180 in chases in the last two years," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"He goes after finishing the match. He got out this time, but the match was over. He had gotten out against Chennai as well, but the match was over. He has gotten out one or two times for sure, or else the average would have been 80. Shreyas is not knocking on the door. He is going to break it down. He is batting like that," he observed.

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Shreyas Iyer Continues Strong Form With Impressive Numbers In IPL 2026

Shreyas Iyer was dismissed by Naman Dhir off Shardul Thakur when Punjab needed just 12 runs. He has scored 203 runs in five matches at an average of 67.67 and a strike rate of 187.96. The middle-order batter is the second-leading run-scorer for his franchise behind Prabhsimran Singh.

Iyer has an impressive win percentage of 56.02 in his IPL captaincy career. He has led three franchises over the past eight years and won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.

Along with leading Punjab Kings, he also serves as the vice-captain of India’s ODI team. He later returned to the T20 setup ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. However, Iyer was not included in the World Cup squad after Tilak Varma returned from injury.

This Kid Is Playing Very Well - Aakash Chopra on Prabhsimran Singh

Prabhsimran Singh remained unbeaten after scoring 80 off 39 balls, including a superb backfoot punch against Jasprit Bumrah. Aakash Chopra praised his mature approach, noting that he stayed composed and avoided attacking every delivery during the big run chase.

"This kid is playing very well. He is generally a striker. He tries to play every ball aggressively, but he didn't do that this time. He had scored 20 runs off 10 balls at the start for sure, he was going at a strike rate of 200, but a lot of overs had been bowled. He was happy sitting at the non-striker's end. He said he would take it deep and wouldn't throw his wicket," he said.

"This was an innings of really high quality. You saw controlled aggression. The way he played Jasprit Bumrah, there was a backfoot punch towards cover, sometimes things happen, seeing which one says the guy is in form. It's praiseworthy in itself if you hit a shot like that against Jasprit Bumrah," Chopra observed.

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