Shreyas Iyer's 97 not out off 42 balls was pivotal in Punjab Kings' 11-run win over Gujarat Titans
Former Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson has lavished praise on Punjab Kings’ skipper Shreyas Iyer following his superb 97 not out against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Shreyas smashed nine sixes and five boundaries in his stay of 42 balls as he took his team to a total of 243/5 in 20 overs. The Mumbai T20 captain had help from young opener Priyansh Arya who scored 47 off 23 balls and Shashank Singh who blasted 44 off just 16 balls which took them to a big total.
Punjab, under former Australia captain Ricky Ponting’s coaching, displayed grit to restrict Gujarat Titans. GT looked set to chase the total down after half-centuries from opener B Sai Sudharshan (74 off 41 balls), Jos Buttler (53 off 33 balls) and timely knocks from captain Shubman Gill (33 off 14 balls) and Impact Sub Sherfane Rutherford (46 off 28 balls).
ALSO READ:
Williamson singled out Iyer for his flawless knock saying every ball from the innings looked like it belonged to highlights reel.
“It was a knock of the highest standard. From the very first ball, it was almost a highlight reel. He played the ball exactly where it was meant to be hit. Anything outside off stump, he looked to access the offside, and he even struck sixes over cover against some of the best seamers in the world,” Williamson said while speaking to JioStar.
The former New Zealand skipper also felt that Shreyas managing to score big against T20 format’s leading wicket-taker Rashid Khan was impressive.
“Then, to take on Rashid Khan as well—that’s one of the toughest challenges in the game. As a leader, to step in at No. 3, set the tone, and take on the opposition’s biggest threats was remarkable. That innings was truly out of this world,” he added.
Iyer, who had captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title, made the switch to Punjab Kings and immediately made an impact with a match-winning knock against IPL 2022 winners. The Mumbaikar also played a big role in India’s recent Champions Trophy 2025 victory with 243 runs from five matches. In between these two big wins, he had also led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 win.
Williamson felt that Shreyas has evolved as a player over the years and the way he had learned to deal with his short ball weakness.
“What stands out about Shreyas is how he continues to evolve his game. For a period, teams targeted him with short balls, but now, he’s adjusting brilliantly— getting deeper in his crease, de-weighting his front leg, and dominating the short-pitched deliveries. He’s now able to access all areas of the ground, which makes him such a formidable batter,” Williamson said.
Punjab Kings will next face Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
