Punjab Kings‘ hopes of building a solid foundation in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Qualifier 1 took another hit as captain Shreyas Iyer departed cheaply against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, playing a loose and uncharacteristic shot under pressure.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer falls to a rash stroke as PBKS slip further
With PBKS at 30/2 in the fourth over, Iyer walked in hoping to anchor the innings, but his stay was short-lived. Facing Josh Hazlewood, who was bowling with rhythm and accuracy, Iyer attempted an ambitious hoick off a good-length delivery outside off stump. The shot lacked control and timing, resulting in a thick edge that flew straight to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who made no mistake. Iyer managed just 2 runs off 3 balls at a strike rate of 66.66, and his decision-making will certainly come under scrutiny given the match situation. Hazlewood’s early spell rattled PBKS, and this dismissal highlighted how poor shot selection under scoreboard pressure can cost a side dearly in knockout games. With the captain back in the hut and the scoreboard reading 30/3, PBKS were staring at a potential collapse.
Powerplay struggles for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 against RCB
In a high-stakes IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 clash at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mohali, Punjab Kings (PBKS) endured a shaky start after being put in to bat by Bengaluru. PBKS reached 48/4 at the end of the six-over powerplay, managing a run rate of 8.00 but losing key wickets early. Priyansh Arya fell for 7 in the second over, followed by a brisk 18 from Prabhsimran Singh, who looked promising before holing out. Captain Shreyas Iyer could only manage 2, while Josh Inglis’ poor form continued with a slow 4 off 7 balls. RCB bowlers kept the pressure intact with disciplined lines, Hazlewood was the standout, picking up 2 wickets in his two overs for just 14 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal chipped in with a wicket apiece, taking advantage of swing and bounce. Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis tried to stabilize things with a brief unbeaten stand, but RCB clearly dominated the first phase, putting PBKS on the back foot.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Shreyas has done exactly what he shouldn’t have. PBKS are in deep trouble here. This is RCB’s game to lose from here and we aren’t even done with the Powerplay of first innings.
— Sarvesh🏏 (@CricAspect) May 29, 2025
Shreyas Iyer vs RCB in IPL 2025:
7(10), 6(10), 2(3) today
That’s three single digits for PBKS Captain. 😂😂
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) May 29, 2025
Horrible shot this from Shreyas.
Didn’t consider the match up, neither the match situation. Should have done better. This shot of his is very similar to what he did vs Jofra in the first over when PBKS played RR at this venue.
— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) May 29, 2025
Shut an irresponsible shot from captain Shreyas💔
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) May 29, 2025
Spinner Lagao Bhai Shreyas Iyer ke liye 😭🤣🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/zddsyPPZO9
— Homie (@homelander_yyy) May 29, 2025
Shreyas Iyer must be hating Mullanpur.
His scores there in IPL 2025:
10
9
0
6
2— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) May 29, 2025
sarpanch Iyer ji gone 😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭🤣
— Tanishk ᡣ𐭩 (@utd4lifemate3) May 29, 2025
iyer anna we’re watching your performance in Q1 today either you play well today which means you deliberately wanted pant to lose the trophy in 2021 or you fail which proves you’re actually trash
— ansh (@anshhffs) May 29, 2025
Such a bad bad pathetic garbage quality shot from Iyer
— ank (@ankmehta45) May 29, 2025
PBKS fans reaction after Captain Shreyas Iyer out. 😳 pic.twitter.com/QpXvnpM1LY
— Rishabh Singh Parmar (@irishabhparmar) May 29, 2025
Also READ: IPL 2025: Here’s how Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fared in Qualifier 1 so far
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