new delhi, May 4
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer conceded that his team fell short in executing their plans despite putting up a strong fight in their four-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 on Sunday. He, however, pointed out that staying at the top of the points table despite back-to-back defeats gives the team some perspective.
Iyer praised the effort shown by his players, especially on a pitch that was not easy for batting. Punjab Kings managed to post 163/9, and the captain felt it was a competitive total given the conditions. “I personally feel it was a great score on a wicket where the ball was doing a bit at the start, especially the new ball,” he said.
He also credited Gujarat’s bowlers for making full use of the surface. “Their bowlers made the best use of the surface – the way they were hitting the lengths and the deck. It was right at the stumps and not giving us much options to open our arms and score runs.”
Punjab had a tough start with the bat, losing three wickets inside the powerplay and slipping further to 47/5. However, a counter-attacking stand between Suryansh Shedge and Marcus Stoinis helped them recover and reach a fighting total.
Iyer highlighted the importance of that partnership. “We lost four wickets I assume in the powerplay. To get to 160 from there was a phenomenal effort.” Talking about the bowling performance, Iyer admitted that his team could not match Gujarat’s execution with the new ball. “With the new ball I thought we would be able to hit our line and length and get early wickets. But that didn’t work out,” he said.
Even so, he appreciated the overall effort and attitude of the team. “But the way we fought till the end, kudos to the efforts. The attitude and approach was excellent.”
He also pointed out where things went wrong from a tactical point of view. “We missed out on hitting the hard lengths.”
Iyer explained that batting was not straightforward on the pitch due to uneven bounce. “Hitting over midwicket or pull shot wasn’t easy on this wicket because there was variable bounce. Wasn’t an apt wicket to bat on.”
He admitted that execution was the key factor in the result. “In terms of execution, we fell a bit short.”
Despite the loss, Iyer remained positive about the team’s position in the tournament. “We’re still on top of the table, which is what matters. We’ll take positives from this game,” he said.
He also felt that playing on such surfaces can help the bowlers improve. “It’s a great challenge going forward in the IPL (playing on such pitches) because it tends to bring up the attitude of the bowlers as well. It can level up their confidence.”
While acknowledging that the team wanted to win, Iyer said they are focused on moving forward. “We wanted to win but it didn’t click. Excited for the opportunity, want to get that two points.”
He ended by stressing the importance of staying consistent in preparation and mindset.
“Have been working very hard in training. If the character is high and attitude is right, you’ll get results eventually. Just got to stick to our basics and routines and not think too much ahead,” the PBKS skipper said.
