Punjab Kings got off to a stunning start in their IPL 2025 as they claimed an 11-run victory over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Playing their first game under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, PBKS were put to bat by GT skipper Shubman Gill and Punjab-based franchise accepted the challenge with a smiling face. At the mega auctions, PBKS roped in many domestic youngsters in their squad and one of them was Priyansh Arya, who scored a quick 47 off 23 balls and gave his side a brilliant start. Later, skipper Iyer (97*) and Shashank Singh (44*) against GT's bowling lineup and propelled PBKS to 243/5 in 20 overs.
Chasing a mammoth target of 244, GT did not let PBKS bowlers breathe as openers Gill and Sai Sudharsan kept on firing. However, PBKS found their way back into the game and were able to restrict GT at 232/5 and won the match by 11 runs.
Pacer Vijaykumar Vyshk came in as an impact player and turned out to be the game changer. At the time when every other bowler was leaking a minimum of 12-13 runs in an over, Vyshak troubled the GT batters with his yorkers and controlled the run flow.
In a recent interaction with NDTV, PBKS pacer Kuldeep Sen stated that being a bowler, it's mentally challenging to perform during such high scoring matches.
"After the game, we all spoke about the areas where we need to improve. So far in this season, all the matches have been high scoring and that becomes a big challenge for the bowlers. At that time, the bowlers have to figure how to control runs on the pitches where the ball in coming directly onto the bat. Talking about the game against GT, we performed well as a bowling unit. There were some overs where we leaked many runs but the way we made a comeback with Vijaykumar Vyshak and Arshdeep Singh's over, it was truly commendable," Kuldeep Sen told NDTV.
Talking about captain Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep said, "Shreyas is a wonderful player and a captain. In the first match, he led the team so brilliantly. It's a long a tournament and the teams needs his tactics and tricks to succeed."
Kuldeep did not feature in the Playing XI of the first match. On being asked about his possible return to field, he stated that the decision will be made by the management.
"Playing the match in his captain and coach's hand. I have no control over that. I will just look to give my level best at every opportunity that I get," he said.
PBKS will now be taking on Lucknow Super Giants in their upcoming match on Tuesday in Lucknow.