In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians, Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings to a five-wicket victory with an unbeaten 87. PBKS has now advanced to the final for just the second time in their history. Even a player the size of Jasprit Bumrah was humbled by Shreyas's genius, as the pacer was powerless to stop the right-hander's assault.
Shreyas' blitz against the five-time champion Mumbai Indians left former South Africa captain AB de Villiers speechless, and he reserved special appreciation for the right-hander's incredible shot off a Bumrah yorker.
Bumrah delivered a superb yorker on the second delivery of the 18th over in PBKS' innings. But Shreyas was up to the challenge, producing what was perhaps the IPL's best shot of the season. Shreyas remained low to open the bat's face, seemingly anticipating a yorker.
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The ball raced to the fence for a boundary as he just steered the delivery past Reece Topley at short third-man.
Regarding this specific stroke, de Villiers stated that his stumps would have been rattled if he had been facing that delivery.
“That's the shot of the IPL for me. That's hitting the middle stump - the perfect yorker. That's literally breaking the toe of the bat. You can't get that away. That's maybe breaking my stumps if I'm facing it,” de Villiers said on JioStar.
“He gets a four off that and puts the pressure straight back on MI against the best bowler in the world. Just incredible batting - pure, brute force and strength. What a fantastic player,” he added.
Shreyas helped Punjab Kings chase down 204 with six balls to spare and five wickets in hand by hitting an undefeated 87 off 41 balls, which included five fours and eight sixes.
The PBKS captain has been in outstanding form throughout the competition, amassing over 600 runs at an incredible average of over 54. De Villiers, who is a big admirer of the PBKS captain, who was purchased for Rs 26.75 crore at the mega auction, praised the India batter's consistency.
“I don't know where to start. I'm obviously a huge fan. But that innings tonight was out of this world. He deserves every bit of the praise coming his way. Under immense pressure, knowing it was do-or-die, with the odds stacked against him - he stood tall,” said de Villiers.
"His sixes were a joy to watch. His head was still, his positioning perfect. He's calm, not arrogant - level-headed, and I love that about him. There are many more runs to come from this guy in the future. Shreyas Iyer, I salute you. What a knock," he added.
The IPL 2025 final between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru is now scheduled for June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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