Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting has been full of praise for Shreyas Iyer after the captain produced another match-winning performance for the team in the IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 16.
The Australian legend said that he has seen many great players over the years, but Iyer’s form, confidence and control on the field at this level is on a completely different level.
Shreyas Iyer’s brilliant half-century leads PBKS to stunning win over MI
The MI vs PBKS clash at the Wankhede Stadium was completely dominated by the visiting team. Chasing the big target of 196 runs, Punjab Kings ended the match with seven wickets in just 16.3 overs. With this emphatic win, they reached the top of the points table and remained unbeaten.
Also read: Rohit Sharma becomes the captain of Mumbai Indians? There is support for Hardik Pandya to be sacked mid-season
Iyer led PBKS from the front with a strong inning of 66 runs off just 35 balls. He hit 5 fours and 4 sixes and kept the run rate above required from the beginning. This was his third consecutive half-century in the ongoing IPL 2026, which shows how consistent and confident he has been this season.
The biggest highlight of the chase was Iyer’s 139-run partnership with Prabhsimran Singh (80). He completely tore apart the Mumbai Indians bowling attack and helped PBKS register their fourth consecutive win in the tournament, although one game was washed out due to rain at the Eden Gardens.
Ricky Ponting hails Shreyas Iyer as Punjab Kings continue their dream run in IPL 2026
After the impressive win over MI, Ricky Ponting was extremely impressed with Shreyas Iyer’s overall performance. The head coach said that Iyer is showing a lot of maturity, better planning and complete confidence in every situation in the current season.
Punjab Kings are playing with a completely different mindset now and the former Australian captain has credited Iyer’s leadership for this as he has been guiding the team brilliantly in pressure moments.
Ricky Ponting said after the match, “Shreyas Iyer has taken his game to another level. You have known him for a long time. You have seen him play. You have seen him lead. I think there are all aspects of his game. I think his captaincy is very strong. He has changed as a person and is in complete control of his game, and when you are in a run chase like this and Iyer is out in the middle. If you have it, you won’t lose too much.”
𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨
🎥 Head coach Ricky Ponting praised Arshdeep Singh’s excellent performance and excellent work ethic as the duo reflected on the driving spells. #PBKS‘Unbeaten Run✌️-by @maulinparikh
🔽Look…
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 17 April 2026
Ricky Ponting cites Shreyas Iyer’s catch as one of the best moments of the season
Another brilliant innings from the captain. The vibe is really good. This is a skill based game. We work really hard on our skills to make sure that when we are under pressure, we can perform and we can perform well and that’s what Arshdeep did for us today. Well, as I said, the captain has control over his game, captaincy and batting.
Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin takes Ajit Agarkar to the cleaners over Shreyas Iyer’s bad behaviour.
The right-handed batsman has also taken a brilliant catch in this match. During MI’s innings, Iyer pulled off an incredible relay catch near the boundary to dismiss Hardik Pandya. He showed great intelligence by lofting the ball to Xavier Bartlett before crossing the boundary, which the PBKS head coach has now termed as one of the best catches of the season.
Ponting signed off by saying, “This is one of the greatest catches I have ever seen.”
Shreyas Iyer, what have you done!! 🤯
🎥 One of the best catches you’ll ever see #TATAIPL History 🔥🔥
Update ▶️ https://t.co/Fn2dxJ4zYR#khelbindaas | #MIvPBKS | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/6EKgHR82cL
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 16 April 2026
