'Lost battle, not war': Iyer on PBKS's defeat vs RCB
What's the story
Punjab Kings (PBKS) faced a crushing defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
However, despite this major setback, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer remains optimistic about his team's future.
Punjab were playing in the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2014, and they faced an eight-wicket defeat by Rajat Patidar's RCB on a spicy pitch in Mullanpur.
Notably, PBKS were folded for 101 while batting first.
Learning opportunity
Iyer vows to learn from defeat
After the match, Iyer stressed on the importance of learning from this experience rather than forgetting it.
He said, "Not a day to forget, but got to go back to the drawing board. We lost a lot of wickets (in the first innings). There's a lot to go back and study on."
Despite his team's poor performance, he stood by his decisions and strategies made before the game.
Strategy defense
Iyer defends pre-match strategies
Iyer defended his pre-match strategies, saying, "Whatever we did in terms of planning—outside of the ground, whatever planning we did—I think it was on point. Just that we couldn't execute it on the field."
He also said that they can't blame the bowlers for their loss as it was a low total to defend.
He emphasized on improving their batting performance especially on such wickets.
Notably, Iyer himself could only manage two runs in the game.
Pitch challenges
Iyer acknowledges challenges posed by Mullanpur pitch
Iyer acknowledged the difficulties posed by the Mullanpur pitch but refused to use it as an excuse for his team's performance.
He said, "In all the games we have played here, there has been some variable bounce."
Despite their dismal performance on this occasion, he remains confident about PBKS's chances in future matches.
"We have lost the battle, but not the war," he concluded.
Summary
How did the game pan out?
RCB bowled PBKS out for just 101 runs in 14.1 overs. Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma claimed three-fers.
In response, Rajat Patidar's men (106/2) got the job done in just 10 overs with Phil Salt (56*) leading from the front.
Notably, PBKS, who finished first in the league stage, can still make it to the final of they overcome the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.
Mumbai Indians face Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator on Friday in Mullanpur.