Shreyas Iyer Reflects on Punjab Kings' Resilience Despite Loss to Gujarat Titans

In a recent match against the Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer shared insights on his team's performance despite the loss. He praised the resilience shown by his players, particularly in reaching a competitive score after early setbacks. Iyer emphasized the challenges posed by the pitch and the exceptional bowling from the opposition. With the PBKS still leading the points table, he remains optimistic about their future matches. Discover more about the match dynamics and Iyer's reflections in this detailed analysis.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 4, 2026, 02:09 IST

Post-Match Insights from Shreyas Iyer

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 4: After the Punjab Kings (PBKS) faced defeat against the Gujarat Titans (GT), captain Shreyas Iyer shared his thoughts on the match. He highlighted the team's ability to score around 160 runs despite losing half their players early on, crediting the GT bowlers for their skillful performance on the pitch.

In their previous encounter against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), PBKS struggled with their bowling, but this time, it was their batting that faltered as they lost five wickets for just 47 runs. A crucial partnership of 79 runs between Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge, who scored a half-century, provided some hope for the team.

Although the PBKS bowlers fought hard, Sai Sudharsan's half-century and Washington Sundar's composed innings ultimately secured the victory for GT with just one ball remaining.

During the post-match presentation, Iyer remarked, “I believe we achieved a commendable score on a pitch that was challenging, especially with the new ball. Their bowlers utilized the conditions effectively, maintaining tight lines and lengths, which restricted our scoring opportunities. Losing four wickets in the powerplay made it tough, but reaching 160 was a remarkable effort.”

Iyer expressed his initial hopes that the new ball bowlers would secure early wickets, but it did not materialize as planned. Nonetheless, he praised his team's determination to take the match to the final ball.

“The team's attitude and approach were commendable. We struggled with our lengths, and playing shots like pulls or over midwicket was difficult due to the variable bounce. The pitch wasn't ideal for batting, and we fell short in execution. However, we remain at the top of the table, which is what counts. We will focus on the positives from this match,” he added.

Iyer noted that playing on such challenging pitches tests the bowlers' mettle, enhancing their confidence, especially after a tough previous game. “We aimed for victory, but it just didn’t come together,” he concluded.

With this win, GT now sits in sixth place with six victories and four losses, totaling 12 points. Meanwhile, PBKS retains the top position with six wins, two losses, and one no result, accumulating 13 points.

GT chose to bowl first, and a significant 79-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Marcus Stoinis (40 runs off 31 balls, including five fours and a six) and Suryansh Shedge (57 runs off 29 balls, with three fours and five sixes) helped PBKS reach 163/9 in their 20 overs, with Holder's impressive bowling figures of 4/24 posing significant challenges for the PBKS batters.

In response, PBKS fought valiantly, but contributions from Sai Sudharsan (57 runs off 41 balls, with five fours and a six) and Washington Sundar (40* runs off 23 balls, with five fours and a six) led GT to victory with just one ball to spare.