"It was among the top five innings in IPL playoffs history"- Aakash Chopra's special praise for Shreyas Iyer

To chase down a 204-run target in a knockout game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, Punjab Kings needed a special knock from someone and it was time for their skipper to step up. On the big day, Shreyas Iyer produced one of his best T20 knocks at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to take his team to the final for the first time in eleven years.  A stunning 87-run knock off 41 balls from Iyer helped PBKS chase down the target in just 19 overs. Shreyas Iyer came in at the crease after Punjab had lost both their openers inside the powerplay. 

But he didn’t fluster, took his time to access the conditions before unleashing the aggressive route. He was happy to play as the second fiddle initially to Josh Inglis, who also played a brilliant knock of 38 off 21. However, his dismissal left Punjab tensed. But Iyer was in no mood to hand over the momentum back to MI. Be it Jasprit Bumrah, Boult, or Ashwani, he dominated everyone. An unbeaten 81-run knock, eventually, guided his team home quite comfortably. 

The internet was in awe of Shreyas Iyer’s knock. Several cricket pundits took to their ‘X’ handle to praise the Indian batter. Renowned cricket expert Aakash Chopra also dropped special praise on air and added Iyer’s knock to his list of top five knocks in the history of Indian Premier League playoffs. 

“Cometh the hour, cometh the Shreyas Iyer,” Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports. 

“His Qualifier 2 knock is among the top five in the history of the IPL playoffs. I remember Shane Watson scoring a hundred in the final but there was not Jasprit Bumrah is front of him. Iyer has to face Bumrah and he neutralized his threat. Trent Boult’s challenge was also there in front of Iyer,” he added.

“Remember what he said after losing Qualifier 1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. ‘We lost the battle not the War’. He actually proved it by winning a big game for Punjab Kings,” he concluded.

Quite remarkably, the two teams that have reached the IPL 2025 are the ones who have never won a title. Punjab Kings will now meet Royal Challengers Bangaluru in the final of the IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.