IPL 2025 delivered once again as the Punjab Kings defeated the Gujarat Titans by 11 runs. The hero of the match was undoubtedly Shreyas Iyer, playing his debut game as captain for the team. Shubman Gill‘s men won the toss and opted to bowl first. PBKS had a strong start despite losing Prabhsimran Singh early. Debutant Priyansh Arya showed great intent after being dropped at just 6.
Iyer looked in fine touch, hitting Kagiso Rabada for a couple of boundaries. PBKS dominated the first phase of the match, scoring 73 runs in the powerplay for the loss of one wicket. On his debut, Priyansh missed a well-deserved half-century, falling to Rashid Khan. Iyer and Azmat Omarzai tried to steady the innings, but the Titans kept taking wickets at regular intervals. Sai Kishore was brilliant, dismissing Glenn Maxwell for a first-ball duck.
It was all “The Shreyas Iyer Show” after that, as he smashed all the bowlers for cleaners. Punjab Kings’ last year’s find Shashank Singh scored 23 runs in the last over and helped the team reach a mammoth total of 243 runs. Iyer had a right to be disappointed not to get his first IPL century, but was more than happy, as his team won the match.
Gill-led GT started aggressively, with their captain scoring 34 runs off just 11 balls. Sai Sudarsha started slow but picked up speed and scored 74 runs with a strike rate of 180. Jos Buttler and the impact player Sherfane Rutherford did try their best to chase it down. The English batter reached a half-century, but the target of 244 was too high to chase. Iyer was named Player of the Match for his 97 runs off 42 balls.
Fans react to Punjab Kings’ close win against Gujarat Titans in 5th match of IPL season 18
Fans expected a new version of Punjab Kings under the proven leadership of Shreyas Iyer. They got exactly that, as Preity Zinta’s team defeated the Gujarat Titans by 11 runs to start their campaign with a win.
One fan said that if Punjab Kings kept playing like this, Iyer could win another trophy after his success with KKR last season. Another fan criticized the Titans’ impact player, Rutherford, for playing too many dot balls. Here are some of the top fan reactions:
Some fans felt that PBKS’ impact player, Vyshak Vijaykumar, deserved the Player of the Match award for his brilliant death bowling. Another fan praised Ricky Ponting and his team, suggesting they could be serious contenders this season. Overall, fans credited the captain, Shashank, and Vijaykumar for their outstanding performances.