Punjab Kings (PBKS) assistant coach Brad Haddin shared a key moment involving skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of their IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Ahmedabad. With a spot in the final on the line, PBKS won the toss and opted to bowl first. MI responded with a strong batting performance, putting up a formidable 203/6 in their 20 overs.
Despite the daunting target, Iyer rose to the occasion with a sensational 87 off just 41 balls—widely regarded as one of the finest knocks of the season—guiding PBKS to a successful chase in 19 overs. While the team’s remarkable effort earned them a place in the final, they narrowly missed out on the title, losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six runs.
Just a week after the IPL ended, Brad Haddin revealed that the team had initially planned to bat first in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians. However, Shreyas Iyer made a last-minute decision to bowl instead, confidently assuring the team of a win. Speaking on The Grade Cricketer podcast (as quoted by Hindustan Times), Haddin recounted the surprising change.
“You do all you planning for the game and at the stadium in Ahmedabad, everything says bat first. The analytics and the match-ups, go through your team stuff, everything says bat first. We say to him (Shreyas Iyer), ‘Yep we are batting first.’ But he goes, ‘No, we’re bowling.’ Punter goes, ‘okay let the captain make the choice.’ He then said, ‘No, I’ll win the game and I’m going to bat second.”
He further continued:
“Everything leads to batting first, but we bowl. Then captain comes out in the second innings and plays one of the best knocks in IPL I have ever seen and got us into the final.”
“Shreyas Iyer Deserves More Recognition As Captain”: Brad Haddin
Brad Haddin called on the Indian team management to view Shreyas Iyer as a serious candidate for future leadership roles. The 30-year-old has achieved notable success as a captain over the past two IPL seasons—guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a championship last year and taking Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final in the recently concluded edition.
“Our captain hasn’t got enough credit and I hope, when they come down to pick an Indian captain, they really start to consider Iyer. He was outstanding throughout the whole tournament,” said Haddin (via aforementioned source).
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