New Delhi: Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer played a masterful innings to steer his team to a five-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) Qualifier 2 on Sunday, setting up an exciting final clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Following the win, Iyer and PBKS coach Ricky Ponting shared a candid conversation, which was shared by the IPL on social media.
Ponting kicked off the chat saying, “Well, we’ve got the coach with the winning captain. It’s right, yeah, halfway mark,” to which Iyer quickly responded, “Winning coach with the winning captain.”
Discussing the match, Ponting asked about the par score on the wicket, to which Iyer replied, “I felt it was tremendous conditions with even bounce and everything coming off well. Personally, I thought 220 was the score to beat.”
Reflecting on his innings amidst wickets tumbling around him, Iyer said, “I felt I was in a great zone, seeing the ball well. Wherever the ball was pitched, I knew I could hit it for six.”
Ponting highlighted Josh Inglis’s quickfire 20 off Jasprit Bumrah’s first over as a crucial moment. Iyer agreed, adding, “When Bumrah went for 13-14 runs in that over, it gave us great momentum and confidence inside the dressing room. That’s when the run chase really kicked off.”
Ponting also recalled Iyer’s words from earlier in the tournament about the team’s mindset. “You made it clear after qualifying for the top four and finishing on top of the table that the job isn’t done yet,” Ponting said.
Iyer affirmed, “Absolutely. The job is only half done. Staying present is key because overthinking the future drains your energy. Right now, we need to refresh, rejuvenate, and come back fresh for the next game.”
Ending the conversation, Ponting noted, “If you keep that mindset, this team is going to be really hard to beat.”
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