“This Loss Will Wake Us Up” – Shreyas Iyer Reflects After RR Hands PBKS 50-Run Defeat
Punjab Kings skipper admits execution errors with bat and ball, calls early setback a ‘valuable lesson’ for the team moving forward.
Chandigarh (Punjab), April 6: In the wake of Punjab Kings’ 50-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025, skipper Shreyas Iyer offered a candid assessment of his team’s performance, admitting tactical missteps and lapses in execution cost them the game.
“We lost back-to-back wickets, which wasn’t ideal. This slight hiccup might be what we need to wake us up early in the tournament,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
Playing at home in Mullanpur, PBKS were handed their first loss of the season after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s explosive 67, paired with Riyan Parag’s unbeaten 43, powered RR to a commanding 205/4. In reply, Punjab faltered early, reduced to 43/4, and never quite recovered, finishing at 155/9.
Iyer highlighted the lack of partnerships and poor shot selection during the chase.
“We should have taken it slower and built better partnerships. It wasn’t easy for the new batters on this pitch, especially after losing early wickets,” he noted.
He also pointed out the absence of expected dew, which could have made chasing easier.
“We anticipated dew, but it didn’t arrive. Still, we weren’t able to execute our bowling plans either. We’ll revisit the footage and figure out where we went wrong,” he added.
Despite the loss, Iyer praised Nehal Wadhera, who scored a gritty 62 off 41 balls under pressure.
“Nehal was phenomenal. He took his time and then accelerated—he made the most of the situation,” Iyer said.
On a positive note, the PBKS skipper acknowledged the timing of the defeat, suggesting that a reality check early in the season could prove beneficial.
“I’m actually glad this blip came early. It’s better to learn from it now than later in the tournament,” he said.
The Royals’ bowling was clinical, led by Jofra Archer’s fiery spell of 3/25, supported by Sandeep Sharma (2/21) and Maheesh Theekshana (2/26). Archer was named Player of the Match.
With this win, RR climbed the table with two wins from two games, while PBKS will look to regroup and bounce back in their next fixture.
