Former India opener Aakash Chopra praised Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer after his match-winning performance against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026. The cricketer turned commentator called Shreyas a modern chase master and compared his recent performances with Virat Kohli in big run chases.
Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians to secure an impressive seven-wicket win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, April 16. Chasing the target of 196, Shreyas Iyer and opener Prabhsimran Singh stitched a phenomenal partnership to end the contest with 21 balls to spare.
He is the new Chase Master – Aakash Chopra praises Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer scored 66 runs in 35 balls with the help of five fours and four sixes against Mumbai Indians. After his third consecutive successful chase, Aakash Chopra said that the Punjab Kings captain consistently finishes high-pressure matches.
Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “He is the new chase master. We talk about Virat Kohli. If we are associating someone else’s name with him, it is an achievement in itself, but the truth is that his numbers are also like his. In the last two years, he has averaged 65 in chases and strike rate is 180.”
He said, “He goes after finishing the match. He got out this time, but the match was over. He was out against Chennai also, but the match was over. He has definitely been out once or twice, otherwise the average would have been 80. Shreyas is not knocking the door. He is going to break it. He is batting like this.”
Shreyas Iyer continues strong form with impressive stats in IPL 2026
Shreyas Iyer was dismissed by Naman Dheer off the bowling of Shardul Thakur when Punjab needed only 12 runs. He has scored 203 runs in five matches at an average of 67.67 and strike rate of 187.96. The middle-order batsman is the second-highest run-scorer for his franchise after Prabhsimran Singh.
Iyer has an impressive win percentage of 56.02 in his IPL captaincy career. He has led three franchises in the last eight years and won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.
Along with leading the Punjab Kings, he is also the vice-captain of India’s ODI team. He later returned to the T20 setup ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. However, Iyer was not included in the World Cup squad after Tilak Verma returned from injury.
This kid is playing very well – Aakash Chopra on Prabhsimran Singh
Prabhsimran Singh remained unbeaten on 80 off 39 balls, which included a brilliant backfoot punch against Jasprit Bumrah. Aakash Chopra praised his mature approach, noting that he remained composed and avoided attacking every ball during big run chases.
He said, “This kid is playing very well. He is usually a striker. He tries to play every ball aggressively, but this time he did not do that. He did score 20 runs in 10 balls in the beginning, he was going at a strike rate of 200, but a lot of overs had been bowled. He was happy sitting at the non-striker’s end. He said he would take it deep and not give away his wicket.”
Chopra said, “It was a really high quality innings. You saw controlled aggression. The way he played Jasprit Bumrah, it was a backfoot punch towards cover, sometimes things like that happen that say the guy is in form. If you hit a shot like that against Jasprit Bumrah, it is commendable in itself.”
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