In Mullanpur (Punjab) [India] on April 7 (ANI), ahead of their home match against the five-time champion team Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Punjab Kings' (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer shared an intriguing story. He mentioned how he had broken down in tears during preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy, showcasing his deep love for cricket and desire to improve with each game played.

Following their two convincing victories, Punjab Kings' home campaign took an unfortunate turn as they lost to the Rajasthan Royals. They now face another test at home against CSK, a team that has won five titles but is presently languishing near the bottom of the table with only one victory and three defeats so far.

In a video shared on PBKS' official X account and their official app, where actress Sahiba Bali posed questions for him, Iyer reminisced about the last instance when he shed tears.

"The last time I shed tears was during the Champions Trophy’s first practice session. Literally sobbing because I hit poorly in the nets. This made me so furious with myself that I began weeping. It surprised me too since I’m usually not one to cry easily,” he explained.

Iyer disclosed that following an impressive showing in the home series against England, he believed he would maintain that momentum into the CT 2025. However, he found that taking wickets in Dubai presented a different challenge altogether.

"Then came the adaptation phase. Already on the very first day, it felt like quite a challenging endeavor. Once the practice session ended... I found myself needing to put in additional effort and missed out on extra batting time. This made me incredibly frustrated," he mentioned.

In the home ODI series against England, which comprised three matches, Iyer emerged as the team’s second-leading run-scorer, amassing 181 runs across three games with an impressive average of 60.33. He maintained a strike rate of 123.12 and scored two half-centuries; his highest individual effort being 78 runs. Similarly, during the CT 2025 tournament, he ranked second for India in terms of aggregate scores, tallying 243 runs over five encounters at an average of 48.60 along with another pair of fifty-plus innings. Notably, his top score throughout this period stood at 79.

He has begun his IPL 2025 season strongly, accumulating 159 runs across three games with an impressive average of 159.00 and a strike rate exceeding 206. He notched up two half-centuries during this period, including a top score of 97*.

Following his removal from BCCI's central contract list last year, Iyer bounced back by leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory in the IPL. He played a pivotal role in Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji trophy triumph, scoring a match-winning 95 runs in the finale. Additionally, he secured both the Irani Cup and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), all while serving as captain for Mumbai.

Discussing his confidence, Iyer remarked, "This sense of belief has come naturally to me. Throughout my younger years, I encountered numerous rejections and setbacks—much like many others experience. However, I derive great pleasure from surmounting these obstacles. For instance, I often draw inspiration from lions because I identify with their characteristics and strength."

Squads:

The Punjab Kings team consists of Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kuldeep Sen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, and Pyla Avinash.

The Chennai Super Kings team roster includes Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Gopal, Sam Curran, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddarth C, and Vansh Bedi. (ANI)