Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer celebrated his first IPL century as he led his team to a seven-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants on January 31, 2026, at the Ekana Stadium.
Iyer’s unbeaten 101 off 51 balls earned him the Player of the Match award and marked his 7000th run in T20 cricket. This triumph was especially meaningful following six consecutive defeats for Punjab Kings.
“Ecstatic, first hundred of the season, we won eventually after six consecutive losses. Support MI tomorrow,” Iyer said.
He also praised the bowling efforts after a challenging start. “Elated by the bowling performance after going for 16 off the first over, Omarzai bowled brilliantly… It’s all about momentum in this situation. Chahal got a crucial wicket of Pant; he showed his character after leaking runs in the previous game,” he added.
Discussing his batting strategy during the high-pressure chase, Iyer emphasised patience and timing. “I know if I give myself time in the middle and time the ball, rather than getting on top of the ball … I know I need to stay out there for as long as possible,” he said.
He commended opener Prabhsimran Singh for his temperament and their partnership. “Prabhsimran Singh was temperamentally active, and the communication we had was great … surreal feeling, finishing a game and scoring a century, I was in a great mind space, felt super from within. Partnership was crucial, creating momentum in the game,” Iyer stated.
The captain revealed the team chose to keep preparations simple, avoiding overthinking before the match. “We just kept it simple, rather than having a meeting and putting pressure on the boys. Free flow of mind is required in crucial games, don’t want to make them overthink, told Ponting we don’t need to do a team meeting,” he said.
In the game, Punjab Kings chased down a target of 197 comfortably with an over to spare, moving to fourth place in the points table with 15 points. Alongside Iyer’s century, Prabhsimran Singh scored 69 off 39 balls.
Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants set the target of 196 for six wickets, powered by a 72 from Josh Inglis and a quick 37 from Abdul Samad despite regular breakthroughs by Punjab bowlers including Yuzvendra Chahal and Marco Jansen.