Shreyas Iyer has been excellent as a batter and probably even better as the captain of the Punjab Kings. Under his astute leadership, the Kings have remained unbeaten after playing seven games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Ahead of Punjab's upcoming clash against the Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 28, Cheteshwar Pujara praised Shreyas for leading his team from the front. The former India batter suggestion to
the Royals was to try and get Shreyas out within the first 10-15 balls he faces because once he gets set, he is very hard to dislodge.
“He’s (Shreyas Iyer) in his prime form, the way he’s been batting. He’s leading from the front. I think Shreyas Iyer is setting the example for the rest of the batters to follow. So for RR, I think it’s important that they try and pick up his wicket early on when he walks into bat, and RR will have to ensure that they create that opportunity in the first 10-15 deliveries which Shreyas faces because once he is set, he’s almost unstoppable," Pujara said during Star Sports' segment 'Game Plan.'
Pujara opined that Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag should use his premier wicket-takers, Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi, against Shreyas.
“So maybe try and use Jofra Archer early on if you can; if he has a couple of overs left, also try and use Ravi Bishnoi whenever possible. And we have seen that Shreyas is a good player of spin, but still you need to utilize your wicket-taking options, and Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi both are the ones whom Riyan Parag should go to," Pujara opined.
You need to show a little bit of confidence in your spinners: Pujara's advice for Riyan Parag
Pujara advised Riyan Parag to show more faith in the spinners in his team - Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi. In Rajasthan's last game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jadeja and Bishnoi bowled one over each.
“I definitely agree that he will have to utilize his spinner in a better way because as we saw in the last game Ravindra Jadeja just bowled one over. Even Ravi Bishnoi just bowled one over. So I think when you are defending a big total, you need your spinners to pick up wickets, and you need to utilize your spinners in a way where they are giving you good overs, at the same time they are picking wickets for you," Pujara said.
“You need to show a little bit of confidence in your spinners, and that's where I think Riyan Parag will have to ensure that he's showing that faith in their spinners, especially Ravi Bishnoi; he has been having a fantastic season. Try and utilize this quota of overs,” he added.
