'Still makes me laugh that SRH chased 246': Shreyas Iyer drops bizarre statement

Shreyas Iyer's Punjab Kings (PBKS) were in action in the 27th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Saturday, April 12, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Team Punjab Kings lost the IPL 2025 match against Team Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.

Also Read:Pat Cummins calls himself Abhishek Sharma's 'Fanboy' after SRH batter's 141 vs PBKS

Abhishek Sharma was lucky - Shreyas Iyer

Batting first in the match, Punjab Kings managed to post a colossal total of 245/6 on the board as Shreyas Iyer (82) led from the front while other batters provided him great support.

However, defending the score, Punjab Kings had a nightmarish outing as despite 8 bowlers giving their all, they were unable to stop the carnage of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, and SRH completed the run-chase in 18.3 overs.

Speaking after the match, Shreyas Iyer said that SRH chasing down the huge score made him laugh. He also called Abhishek Sharma lucky but lauded him for his century. Shreyas Iyer said:

"I think it was a fantastic total, to be honest. Still making me laugh that they (SRH) chased it with 2 overs to spare. We could have taken a few catches, but he (Abhishek) was lucky. He was exceptional. In a nutshell we didn't bowl to our expectations, we have to go to the drawing board and make amends."

The over rotation could have been better from our side - Shreyas Iyer

Iyer praised Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head but admitted that he could have rotated his bowlers better. He said:

"The opening partnership (between Abhishek and Head) was phenomenal, they didn't give us too many opportunities to capitalize. The over rotation could have been better from our side."

Shreyas Iyer also expressed disappointment over losing pacer Lockie Ferguson, who just after bowling two balls, left the field injured. He said:

"Ferguson can give you wickets, but that (injuries) happens, it's a part and parcel of the game. These are the learnings for us going forward. The other bowlers could have done the same though. Myself and Wadhera thought 230 was a good total, but I think the dew made it harder for us (during the second innings.) The way they (SRH openers) batted was out of the world, it (Abhishek's knock) was one of the best knock I have seen."

How did PBKS perform in the previous IPL match against SRH?

Punjab Kings lost their previous IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad by 4 wickets despite giving their all in a high-scoring clash in Hyderabad on May 19.

Batting first, PBKS got off to a great start with openers Prabhsimran Singh and Atharva Taide putting up a 97-run partnership in just 9.1 overs. Prabhsimran smashed 71 off 45 balls with seven fours and four sixes, while Taide scored a brisk 46 off 27.

Rilee Rossouw also came up with a whirlwind 49 off just 24 deliveries, but a mini-collapse damaged their momentum. From 151/1 in the 15th over, they slumped to 187/5 before Jitesh Sharma’s fireworks (32* off 15) pushed PBKS to a good total of 214/5.

With the ball, PBKS had a dream start as Arshdeep Singh cleaned up Travis Head for a golden duck, but the bowlers struggled from there on. While Arshdeep and Harshal Patel picked up two wickets each, they were expensive and the spinners couldn't apply pressure either. Despite a decent all-round showing, PBKS failed to stop SRH from completing the run-chase in 19.1 overs.