(Image source from: Twitter.com/PunjabKingsIPL)
Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Punjab Kings (PBKS), exited the field during his team’s Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday. This occurred in the seventh over as RCB pursued a target of 158 runs in Mullanpur. In Shreyas' absence, Marcus Stoinis stepped in as the acting captain. So, what caused Shreyas to leave the field, particularly while his team was defending a modest total? As reported by ESPNcricinfo, his departure was due to feeling unwell. The report stated, "Shreyas isn’t feeling well and is off the ground. Stoinis is the acting captain." It appears unlikely that Shreyas will return to the game. Previously, RCB's spinners played a crucial role in limiting Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a score of 157/6.
After winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar chose to bowl first, a decision that paid off due to the disciplined bowling from his spin bowlers, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma. Pandya concluded his spell with figures of 2/25, while Suyash matched his effectiveness, taking 2/26 over four overs. PBKS began strongly, with openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh putting together a brisk partnership of 42 runs. However, that momentum was halted when Krunal Pandya dismissed Arya for 22. The team reached the fifty mark in just 5.1 overs and stood at 62/1 at the end of the powerplay, but the scoring rate diminished after Pandya struck again shortly after the powerplay, sending Prabhsimran Singh back for 33.
The middle order found it challenging to maintain the momentum, as captain Shreyas Iyer fell for a disappointing 6 runs off 10 balls to Romario Shepherd, who was making his season debut. A mix-up between Nehal Wadhera and Josh Inglis led to Wadhera being run out for only 5 runs. Inglis, however, displayed some resilience, scoring 29 runs off 17 balls before being bowled by the astute Suyash Sharma. The leg-spinner quickly added another wicket to his tally by clean bowling Marcus Stoinis for merely 1 run, leaving Punjab struggling at 114/6 after 13.5 overs.
At that point, South African all-rounder Marco Jansen and Shashank Singh collaborated to stabilize the innings. They formed an unbroken 41-run partnership for the seventh wicket, enabling PBKS to reach a more respectable total. Shashank ended up not out with 31 runs off 33 balls, while Jansen provided a useful contribution of 25 runs off 20 deliveries.
