Shreyas Iyer's Explosive 97 Leads PBKS to Victory Over GT in IPL 2025

Punjab Kings opened their IPL 2025 campaign by beating Gujarat Titans by 11 runs during their power-packed match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Shreyas Iyer took center stage on the night by scoring 97 runs from 42 balls to guide PBKS to an unbeaten victory.

At the start of the game, GT captain Shubman Gill made the tactical choice to start by bowling, yet Punjab managed to outshine his strategy throughout the match. PBKS suffered an early departure of Prabhsimran Singh at the top, but Priyansh Arya took charge during his first match with a stroke-filled 47-run knock that included seven fours and two powerful hits over the fence. His forceful batting at the beginning established the trajectory for the rest of the game. When Iyer arrived at bat as the third player, he took the spotlight by delivering a series of powerful strokes. The masterful batting display included five boundaries and nine powerful hits over the fence that came just short of a hundred by three runs.

Shashank Singh backed Iyer strongly by hitting 44 runs off 16 balls while dominating Mohammed Siraj during his 23-run last over. PBKS reached their 243/5 score, which became the second-best total in their IPL record due to Iyer and Singh's 81-run combination. GT’s left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore emerged as the top performer through his 3/30 bowling performance while GT’s entire bowling division faced challenges while facing Punjab's dominant batting line-up.

The Gujarat Titans batting order demonstrated a strong commencement via Gill's 33 off 14 and Sudharsan's 74 off 41, which amounted to 61 runs during the powerplay. Jos Buttler scored 54 in 33 deliveries alongside Sudharsan, who accumulated 74 in 41 balls before Punjab bowlers regained control. The crucial dismissal of Sudharsan along with two more wickets during this period helped Singh secure 2/36 while Jansen eliminated Buttler in the 18th over. GT scored 232/5 off their innings but lost by a close margin despite Sherfane Rutherford's 46-run hit from 28 balls near the end.

The match-winning innings that Iyer delivered earned him the Player of the Match distinction, which indicated positive beginnings for his PBKS captaincy alongside coach Ricky Ponting. The defeat showed GT which aspects needed improvement so they could organize better before their upcoming matches.