Shreyas Iyer openly blames PBKS bowlers for loss to DC, drops finger injury update

Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) went head-to-head with the Faf du Plessis-led Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 66th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

Punjab Kings lost the IPL 2025 match against the Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday, May 23.

Also Read: Watch: Harpreet Brar Bamboozles Karun Nair, Uproots His Leg Stump With Brutal Delivery

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I felt that it was a fantastic score to be honest in this wicket - Shreyas Iyer

PBKS registered a colossal score of 206/8 after being put in to bat first. Shreyas Iyer emerged as the top performer as he played a knock of 53 runs, while Marcus Stoinis (44* off 16), Josh Inglis (32 off 12), and Prabhsimran Singh (28 off 18) made good contributions.

Defending the total, Punjab Kings bowlers failed to deliver a good performance and allowed the run-chase to be completed in 19.3 overs. Harpreet Brar (2), Marco Jansen (1), and Praveen Dubey (1) were among the wickets for PBKS.

Speaking after the match, Shreyas Iyer said that they did a good job with the bat and posted an above-par score. He said:

"I felt that it was a fantastic score to be honest in this wicket. The wicket was helping the seamers. There was a variable bounce onto the wicket. The ball wasn't coming at the same pace. I felt that the score was over par."

We couldn't execute our plans as we tried bowling bouncers at certain stages - Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer further lashed out at his bowlers for not being disciplined enough and blamed them for the defeat. He said:

"I think we weren't disciplined enough in terms of our execution. Once we read the wicket in the first innings, we planned of bowling hard lengths as much as possible and right at the stumps. We couldn't execute our plans as we tried bowling bouncers at certain stages which wasn't required. It's a great learning for the boys."

The PBKS captain also acknowledged the tough competition in the Indian Premier League, where any team can shock anyone. Shreyas Iyer said:

"It's bigger than a premier league I feel. Every team is equally poised in this tournament. You need to stay positive and calm as much as possible. There is always a sunrise you see tomorrow. You need to stick to the present rather that dwelling towards what happened today."

In the end, Shreyas Iyer revealed that he is facing some issues with his finger but would be fully fine ahead of the team's next game. He said:

"We got to go back to the drawing board and see what went wrong for us. We need to come in with stronger plans so that we are able to execute better in the next game. Not the body, it's just the finger that I am facing issues with. I feel that it should be fine in the next game."

How did PBKS perform in the previous completed IPL match against DC?

Punjab Kings registered a four-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in Mullanpur on March 23, 2024, in the previous Indian Premier League (IPL) match between the two teams.

Opting to bowl first, PBKS restricted DC to 174/9. Arshdeep Singh (2/28) and Harshal Patel (2/47) took key wickets at different stages, while Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, and Harpreet Brar bagged one wicket each to stop the Delhi Capitals from scoring big.

Chasing 175, Punjab got off to a good start with Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow batting very well. However, both fell quickly, along with Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma and came under pressure at 100/4.

That was when Sam Curran stepped up with a brilliant 63 runs off 47 balls, and he found good support from Liam Livingstone, who slammed 38 runs off 21 balls, to guide PBKS home with four balls to spare.