IPL 2025, GT vs PBKS, Hits & Flops: Shreyas Iyer’s brilliant 97 and his sharp captaincy lead Punjab to their first win of the season. Punjab climbs to third place in the points table.
Brief scores: PBKS 243/5 (S Iyer 97*, P Arya 47, R S Kishore 3/30) beat GT (S Sudharsan 74, J Buttler 54, A Singh 2/36) by 11 runs.
Like any other IPL game these days, the clash between PBKS and GT was also a high-scoring one. Bowlers went expensive, and batsmen from both teams played great, explosive cricket. Punjab’s opener and debutant, Priyansh Arya, started the momentum, which was later carried by the skipper. In the second innings, it was Sudharsan and Butler who tried to chase down 243, but eventually failed.
Hits from PBKS vs GT
Shreyas’ selfless innings of 97*
Shreyas Iyer shone bright on his debut match for the Punjab Kings, as he led from the front, scoring an electrifying knock of 97(42)*. On various occasions, his team was in the deeper end, but he sailed smartly through those tough situations. His knock comprised some quality punches, both on and offside. But he fell three runs short of scoring his maiden IPL hundred. Interestingly, he could have conveniently achieved the milestone, but his selfless act of letting Shashank dominate in the death overs cost him the ton.
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Shashank carries on the good work at death
Time and again, Shashank Singh has proved his calibre with the bat. With his performances in the IPL in 2024 and now in 2025, he is climbing up the ranks quickly. Even in today’s match, when his team needed to cross the par score, he stood and delivered. With an impressive strike rate of 275.00, he scored 44 off just 16 balls. He is now the designated FINISHER of PBKS.
Shreyas Iyer’s subtle bowling changes
Kudos to Iyer’s bowling changes that constantly puzzled the opponent’s batsmen. A huge credit for today’s victory goes to his mastermind. The way he switched bowlers was great. He considered the opponent’s strength and set them up on their weakness. For instance, when Rutherford was struggling to play balls wide outside off, Vyshak’s strategies worked by bowling those unfordable lines and lengths on the captain’s command.
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Flops from PBKS vs GT
Time for Siraj and Rashid to bring their A-game
Veterans Mohammed Siraj and Rashis Khan didn’t deliver like they were expected to. While the former went wicketless today, the latter provided only one breakthrough, that too, of a youngster. Considering the amount of experience these two have, they performed much below their capabilities. In 121 and 94 matches, Rashid and Siraj have 149 and 93 wickets respectively. Now, GT has a really quality bowling lineup and these two are the leaders of this department. For the team to excel, they need to step up and set an example for others.
Conclusion
Punjab Kings had the last laugh as they defeated the home team by 11 runs. A good all-round show was displayed by PBKS as they gracefully ticked all the boxes, be it batting, bowling or fielding. On the other hand, Shubman Gill and Co. need to pull up their socks as they underperformed on plenty of occasions. After this match, the points table stands as follows:
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