Made too many mistakes: Shreyas Iyer on defeat against SRH
What's the story
Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer has admitted that his team made too many mistakes in their recent 33-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The loss saw PBKS lose their top spot on the IPL points table. "We dropped too many catches," Iyer said after the match, acknowledging his team's poor fielding performance. In the first innings, PBKS dropped three catches and missed one stumping chance, allowing SRH to post a massive total of 235 for four.
Match analysis
We weren't comprehensive enough: Iyer
Iyer further explained that the dropped catches at the start of SRH's innings could have easily reduced their score by 30-40 runs. He also noted that the wicket kept getting slower and cutters were holding up a bit, which contributed to their performance. "So, we weren't comprehensive enough on the field, nor in bowling, nor in batting," Iyer said. He praised SRH for playing comprehensive cricket and showing them how to win a match.
Bowling woes
Chahal's tough luck in the match
Yuzvendra Chahal had a particularly unlucky spell in the match, giving away just 32 runs while taking one wicket. He had a catch dropped and a stumping missed off his bowling in the same over. Despite creating 16 catching chances this IPL season, eight have been dropped (catching efficiency of 50%). Among all bowlers who've created four or more chances this year, none have had a higher percentage of catches dropped than Chahal.
Player praise
Praise for Chahal from Iyer
Iyer praised Chahal for his fearless attitude and fantastic performance against left-handers. He said he had asked Chahal to be attacking, especially when new batsmen were in, as it was crucial to get wickets at that point. However, the PBKS captain reiterated that their inability to take catches was the biggest setback for them in this match.
Player spotlight
Praise for Cooper Connolly from Iyer
In a struggling PBKS innings, Cooper Connolly stood out as the lone batter who stuck around. He scored an unbeaten 107 runs off 59 balls, marking his first century in professional cricket. Iyer praised Connolly for his top-notch mindset and character on the field. "He has done it in the past and today was the right example," he said about Connolly's knack for scoring big runs under pressure situations.