Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], April 7 : Ahead of his side's home match against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer revealed an interesting anecdote about his breaking down into tears during preparations for ICC Champions Trophy. The anecdote revealed his immense passion for the game and his aim to get better with every game.
After two thumping away wins, PBKS's home season started on a poor note with a loss to Rajasthan Royals. Their next challenge at home will be five-time champions CSK, who are currently struggling and are at ninth spot with a win and three losses.
Speaking in a video posted on PBKS' official X handle and their official app, which featured actress Sahiba Bali asking him questions, Iyer recalled the last time he cried.
"Last time I cried was during Champions Trophy. First practice session. Like, literally crying, crying. Because I batted in the nets and my batting was not good. So I was so angry at myself that I started crying. And I was also shocked that I do not cry so easily," he said.
Iyer revealed that after a fine performance in the home series against England, he thought he would be in the same flow in the CT 2025, but wickets in Dubai were different.
"And then to adapt. On the first day itself, it was kind of an arduous task. So when the practice was over... I had to do a little extra and I didn't get extra batting. So I got really angry," he added.
During the England series at home, consisting of three ODIs, Iyer was the second-highest run-getter, with 181 runs in three games at an average of 60.33, with a strike rate of 123.12 and two half-centuries. His best score was 78. Iyer was India's second-highest run-getter in CT 2025 and overall second, with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60 and two half-centuries. His best score was 79.
He also has started his IPL 2025 campaign on a high, scoring 159 runs in three matches at an average of 159.00 and a strike rate of over 206, with two half-centuries and the best score of 97*.
Last year, after being removed from BCCI's central contract list, Iyer responded by winning an IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a captain, playing a crucial hand in Mumbai's 42nd Ranji title win with a match-winning 95 in the final, securing the Irani Cup and also the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) with Mumbai as a captain.
Speaking on his self-belief, Iyer said, "It has been natural. I faced several rejections and failures when I was young. Pretty much similar to everyone's life. I just love to overcome those barriers. I love to give an example of lion, I feel connected to that animal and the trait that it possesses."
Squads:
Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), 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, Pyla Avinash
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), 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, Vansh Bedi.