"KKR Had Chance To Retain Shreyas Iyer": India Great's Blunt Take On PBKS' Campaign

Punjab Kings faced a shocking eight-wicket defeat in the Qualifier 1 match of IPL 2025 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur on Thursday. It was a pure dominating show from Rajat Patidar as they bundled PBKS for paltry 102 and then chased down the target in just 10 overs. With this win, RCB marched into the final of IPL 2025 while PBKS will now face Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 match on Sunday in Ahmedabad. Despite the loss, the IPL 2025 season has been phenomenal for PBKS as they reached the playoffs after a hiatus of 10 years. 

The duo of captain of Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting took the daunting task and also passed with the flying colors by taking PBKS in the playoffs. However, it would be unfair to not applaud the other players for their contribution and former India skipper Anjum Chopra also lauded PBKS for their all-round performance. 

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Anjum stated that the reason of PBKS success is their all-round performance and also Shreyas' role as a leader. 

"We are focusing on Punjab Kings is because they reached the playoffs after 11 years. The kind of the game they have played is that they shone through the entire season. It's not like that they lost one-sided matches or they had a very poor in the league stage," Anjum told NDTV. 

"So, PBKS as a franchise have caught everyone's attention because of their all-round play. Even Shreyas or Ponting would say the same that it was not just one man's contribution, which led to team's success. Yes, Shreyas Iyer as a captain, as a batter, has played a massive role and is definitely worth a mention but if you ask him, he will never say, 'It is because of me'," she added.

Ever-since PBKS made it to the playoffs, many fans took to social media and criticised Kolkata Knight Riders for not retaining and even giving proper credit to Shreyas for their title win in 2024. 

Anjum stated that despite not getting retained, it is a player's job to perform and it is exactly what Shreyas did in PBKS.

"It is between the franchise and the player. If they didn't retain him and he went somewhere else, then it doesn't mean that Shreyas has no right to succeed in his career. It is absolutely unfair. KKR had a chance to retain but they didn't, so he went somewhere else," said Anjum. 

"But, Shreyas is still a player. Whether he plays for KKR or PBKS, his job is only to perform and score runs. Eventually, if his team is also doing well, then as a player and as captain it's his job. He is just playing for his team, doesn't matter which jersey he is wearing," she added. 

Topics mentioned in this article

Punjab Kings Royal Challengers Bengaluru Kolkata Knight Riders Shreyas Iyer Anjum Chopra IPL 2025 Cricket