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IPL-2025: Shreyas, Shashank, and Vyshak lead PBKS to a close victory
Shreyas, Shashank, and Vyshak lead PBKS to a close victory
Punjab Kings started their IPL 2025 campaign with a thrilling 11-run victory over Gujarat Titans.
New and returning players have been the center of attention in the first week of IPL 2025, and it was the same in Ahmedabad. Last season’s winning captain, Shreyas Iyer, made a big statement as he led the Punjab Kings to their second-highest score ever and a win over the Gujarat Titans by 11 runs.
Iyer was just three runs away from a century, sitting at 97 off 42 balls when the last over started, but he chose not to face any balls during that over. He told his teammate Shashank Singh not to worry about him reaching the milestone. Iyer had mentioned at the start of the season that he preferred batting at No. 3, and he proved against GT just how powerful he can be in that position. He set a career-best score in the IPL, hitting nine sixes. He’s cleared the boundary more times in only one other match in this tournament, and his aggressive style of batting was a choice he made.
Iyer knew Punjab Kings (PBKS) needed a big total as chasing teams had won five of the last six IPL matches at this ground, where dew affects play heavily. On Tuesday evening, Iyer played aggressively, hitting Kagiso Rabada for a six early on and smashing Sai Kishore for two more right after Kishore had taken two wickets in his previous over. He even attacked Rashid Khan, hitting him for two of the five sixes Rashid conceded in his spell of 4 overs for 48 runs. In the 15th over, Iyer cleverly spotted a wide from the non-striker's end and when he got the strike for the extra ball, he hit it for six.
Priyansh Arya, praised by coach Ricky Ponting before the season, impressed as a left-handed opening batter. He hit eight boundaries in the powerplay despite facing top bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Rabada. Shashank also shone, coming in during the death overs and scoring quickly. Out of the 16 balls he faced, he sent eight to the boundary, with his best performance being a 23-run final over against Siraj.
Sai Sudharsan, who had scored a century in his last IPL game here, showed his class once more. He made 74 off 41 balls and dominated when the Titans scored 87 runs in six overs between the ninth and 14th. He has consistently performed against all types of bowlers and seems ready for Test cricket, with an England tour coming up, as he has experience in first-class matches there. In this match, the Titans were 30 runs ahead of Punjab during this phase (169 vs 139) with fewer wickets lost. Jos Buttler, playing for a new team, also contributed with a fifty.
Vijaykumar Vyshak came on as a substitute and bowled the 15th and 17th overs with a clear plan to hit the blockhole despite the challenging dew. Some balls turned into wide full-tosses, but Vyshak stayed focused, pitching every ball at a full length. His accuracy helped him give away just 10 runs in 12 balls, slowing the Titans' momentum. While Punjab scored 77 runs in their last five overs, Titans could manage only 50.
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