In the Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, the majority of the audience at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur were stunned when the home team, the Punjab Kings, were defeated by eight wickets by the Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). After scoring 19 points in 14 games to lead the points standings, Shreyas Iyer and company were bowled out for 101 in less than 15 overs, missing the exciting game.

Shreyas Iyer admitted that his team did not show up with the bat during the game. Nevertheless, he insisted that the planning was excellent and that the execution was the only problem, and he declined to admit that any of his choices were bad.

The PBKS hitters were deemed guilty of pushing too hard in their quest for a large score. To consolidate and post a respectable score on the board, no batter attempted to remain in the center. Josh Hazlewood's delivery caused even Shreyas Iyer to commit a terrible hoike. Sunil Gavaskar critiqued his shot on television, and PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting was even seen engaging in a lively discussion following Shreyas' dismissal.

"I believe we must return to the beginning and analyze where we made our mistakes. To be honest, we were somewhat perplexed when it came to reading the wicket. Many of our wickets fell. After the game ended, Shreyas Iyer remarked, "There's a lot to go back and learn on."

To be honest, I have no doubts about the choices I have made. Regardless of how we prepared or what we planned outside the ground, I think our planning was excellent. Just that we were unable to carry out our plans for scoring runs on the field. The bowlers can't even be held accountable for the score since it was a small one to defend. He continued, "We started working on our batting, particularly on this wicket."

"We have lost the battle, not the war"

Shreyas Iyer was confident, knowing that his squad still has a chance to compete for the championship. They get another opportunity when they face the victor of the Eliminator match between the Gujarat Titans and the Mumbai Indians.

"In all the games we have played here, there has been some variable bounce, but we can't give such reasons because we are professionals at the end of the day, and we have to bat according to the situation, and whatever the situation demands, we have to live up to it," said Shreyas.

He continued, "We have lost the battle, but not the war."

In the game between PBKS and RCB, Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood each picked up three wickets for the latter, which allowed RCB to dismiss the hosts for 101 in 15 overs.

Phil Salt then scored an unbroken half-century as RCB successfully chased down the target with 60 balls to spare.

At the Narendra Modi Stadium, the IPL 2025 final will take place on Tuesday, June 3.

Read Also: Virat Kohli Silences AB de Villiers’ RCB Rally Cry Before Crucial IPL Finale

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