Shreyas Iyer of Punjab Kings during the IPL 2025 match vs Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. (Sportzpics)Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting lauded skipper Shreyas Iyer for his well-paced half century in the match against Lucknow Super Giants, saying that the former KKR captain was like a ‘Rolls-Royce in third gear’. Iyer got his 50 off the last ball of Punjab’s chase when he smashed a six to overhaul LSG’s 172-run target in 16.2 overs for the loss of two wickets.
“Skipper (Iyer) did it easy again. Rolls-Royce just stayed in third gear for most of the day. Didn’t have to go any harder than that. Just steers the ship home. You haven’t got an average yet,” Ponting said during the team meeting following the big victory.
Iyer is yet to be dismissed in IPL 2025, having notched up an unbeaten 97 in the opening game against Gujarat Titans. He is currently the second-highest run-getter in the season with 149 runs.
𝑷𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 🦁s! 👏#LSGvPBKS #IPL2025 #BasJeetnaHai #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/Rt3Xi1AtHl
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 2, 2025
In the match, opener Prabhsimran Singh supported his skipper’s cause scored a blistering 34-ball 69 while Nehal Wadhera chipped in with a 25-ball 43.
“And Prabhsimran, I think you have learned a lot about yourself this week as well. I think you’ve proved to everyone just what a class act you are,” said Ponting on Prabhsimran.
“We talk about players making impact, right? You get an opportunity in a T20 game and it’s all about making an impact on the game and on the contest when you can. He (Wadhera) only packed one shirt in his bag because he didn’t think he was going to be taking much part in the game. He fields the last four overs and then I tap him on the shoulder. When I saw that they’d (LSG) made their impact sub as a left-arm off spinner, I said, mate, you’re going in. And I said, make the most of the opportunity. Play your way,” the former Australian player added about Wadhera.
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