PBKS's First Loss: Iyer Praises Dubey-Ferreira Heroics in IPL 2026 Thriller

"I think 222 was a very good score. It was an exceptional performance, especially on this wicket, which was a bit sticky and slow. We planned to bowl slower and focus on yorkers. I think we fell short there. Also, they played really well, Dubey and Ferreira with that partnership," Iyer said after the match.

Punjab Kings had earlier scored 222/4, boosted by an explosive unbeaten 62 off 22 balls from Marcus Stoinis and a solid 59 off 44 from Prabhsimran Singh. Contributions from Iyer (30) and Cooper Connolly (30) kept the innings on track before Stoinis' late surge lifted them past 220.

However, Rajasthan Royals quickly chased it down with six wickets in hand. This was largely due to a game-changing, unbeaten 77-run partnership off just 32 balls between Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey. Their aggressive play in the final overs turned what looked like a challenging chase into an easy finish.

Discussing the challenges bowlers face in this format, Iyer said, "In this format, many players have changed their game. Many go big from ball one. It's a big challenge for bowlers to come up with plans. But in the end, it's all about execution. Today was just not our day."

Rajasthan's chase started strongly with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hitting 43 off 16 balls, followed by a fluent half-century from Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 off 27). Although PBKS briefly fought back during the middle overs-particularly with tight spells from Harpreet Brar and Yuzvendra Chahal-they couldn't finish the game.

"I think it's important that we stick to what we've been doing. We need to follow our process. We finished the game and then had a travel day. The body was also tired. But that can't be the excuse here. We need to get back to the drawing board before coming back," Iyer added when discussing the way forward.

Despite the loss, the PBKS captain remained hopeful. "This is our first loss of the season. It definitely teaches you a lot. It was one of those games where things didn't go our way. Looking back, we could have done things differently. But we have to stay positive as we move forward."

Iyer also praised his spinners, emphasising Harpreet Brar's impressive performance. "I felt it was hard to score off the spinners. Harpreet Brar, in his first game, showed great character and only gave away 25 runs in his four overs. Hats off to him for stepping up like this in his first game and becoming our best bowler," he said.

- IANS