Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer made an unusual remark about his premier spinner Yuzvendra Chahal following their remarkable 16-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Mullanpur on April 15. Iyer mentioned that he advised Chahal to focus on controlling his breathing after noticing the pitch offering turn during their bowling innings.
In what turned out to be one of the most dramatic comebacks in IPL history, PBKS defended a modest total of 111, bowled out in just 15.3 overs. Their bowlers then delivered a stellar performance, dismissing KKR for a mere 95 in 15.1 overs. Struggling with form before the match, leg-spinner Chahal delivered a game-changing spell of 4/28 in his four overs, shifting the momentum in PBKS’ favor.
This win set a new IPL record for the lowest total ever defended, surpassing Chennai Super Kings’ defense of 116 against PBKS back in 2009. Speaking about the stunning turnaround during the post-match presentation, Iyer shared (via Cricbuzz):
“It is hard to express in words. I was just backing my instincts. I saw the ball turn a bit, asked Yuzi to control his breathing a bit. We needed to be attacking and the right players were in the right places. It is tough to talk right now and such wins make it special.”
“We need to stay modest and avoid getting carried away by this win”- Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer encouraged his team to stay level-headed despite their dramatic turnaround victory against KKR. The win came on the heels of a disappointing performance in their previous match, where they allowed SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) to chase down 246—the second-highest successful chase in IPL history.
“When we saw Yuzi came in and turn the ball, our hopes and expectations were higher and I wanted the field to be attacking and right in front of their face so that they make mistakes and the tide turned towards us.”
”It is important we stay humble and not get over-hyped with this win. It is important we take all the positives from this game and try to execute from ball one in the next game,” said Iyer (Via the aforementioned source).
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