Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer's sister, Shresta Iyer, has responded to the social media backlash over her controversial "ditta ek point" Instagram reel during IPL 2026. The 28-year-old dancer and choreographer defended the viral video, saying it was a light-hearted joke that many cricket fans misunderstood.
The old video went viral after Punjab Kings were knocked out of the recent tournament. In the reel, Shresta joked that Punjab Kings had "gifted one point" to Kolkata Knight Riders after their rain-abandoned league match, when KKR were struggling near the bottom of the 10-team points table.
Maine Kisi Ke Sentiments Hurt Nahi Kiye Hai - Shreyas Iyer's Sister
Host Riteish Deshmukh asked Shresta about the controversial clip during the opening episode of the reality show Lock Upp. He said that her joke had upset many Kolkata Knight Riders fans. Shresta defended herself, saying the video was only light-hearted sports banter and was never meant to offend anyone.
"Maine kisi ke sentiments hurt nahi kiye hai (I did not hurt anyone's sentiments). I think it was just fun banter. Sports mein aise fun banters hote rehte hai (Such fun banter is common in sports)," Shresta Iyer said.
The Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings failed to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. Despite enjoying a seven-match unbeaten run in the first half of the season, the Kings lost momentum in the closing stages and finished fifth in the points table with 15 points.
I've Decided to Take Down My Recent Video - Shreyas Iyer's Sister
Shresta later deleted the reel and revealed that she had received threatening messages from some social media users. The choreographer said she did not remove the video because it was wrong, but to prevent more negativity directed at her brother and Punjab Kings.
"I've decided to take down my recent video as it seems it was misunderstood by some. It was meant to be light-hearted banter, but I respect that not everyone saw it that way. However, it's been quite upsetting to receive not just negativity, but also a few threat messages over it."
"That's something I didn't expect, especially for something that was never intended to harm anyone. I'm not removing the video because I believe I did something wrong, but because I respect my brother and his team, and I don't want this space to turn into one filled with negativity... Let's try to be a little kinder and more understanding with each other," Shresta Iyer wrote.
Shreyas Iyer's India Captaincy Starts with Defeat Against Ireland
Shreyas Iyer left Kolkata Knight Riders after leading the franchise to the IPL 2024 title. Punjab Kings signed the right-handed batter for ₹26.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction and handed him the responsibility of leading the team.
Shreyas Iyer recently began his stint as India's T20I captain with an unwanted record. His first match in charge ended in a disappointing 34-run defeat to Ireland in Belfast on Friday, June 26.
Abhishek Sharma was the only Indian batter to make an impact, scoring a quick 49 off 21 balls. The rest of the top order failed during the chase as India were bowled out well short of the target. India must now win the second and final T20I on Sunday, June 28, to avoid a series defeat against Ireland.
