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Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer thanked head coach Ricky Ponting on Monday for allowing him the freedom to express myself, after the team secured a spot in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025 with a solid seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. Iyer, who joined PBKS after leading Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title last season, made an immediate impact, taking the Punjab team to their first playoffs since 2014.

The bond between Ricky and me has been strong for years. He trusts me on the field, and that trust has helped us succeed, Iyer said during the post-match ceremony. Everyone rose to the occasion. From the beginning, we focused on winning, no matter the situation. Players stepped up when we needed it. Big shoutout to the support staff and management too.

Iyer praised Ricky for his ability to handle players. Building trust is key for me, and those early wins helped. We’ve had good talks, and maintaining good relationships is crucial. The dressing room atmosphere has been great. When things get tough, it can be easy for people to turn on each other, he added.

Iyer also acknowledged Priyansh Arya (62 off 35 balls) and Josh Inglis (73 off 42) for their outstanding performances. Priyansh started off brilliantly; young players are fearless. Their hard work in practice is paying off on the field. He mentioned Inglis, saying, He’s had a fluctuating role in the lineup, but since he likes the new ball, I wanted him to face more deliveries. It really worked, as we know he can deliver in crucial matches.

On the other hand, MI skipper Hardik Pandya felt they fell short by about 20 runs. The pitch wasn’t easy, and we were definitely 20 runs short. We’ve been playing well, but couldn’t hit our stride today. We could have gained more runs at the start or in the middle, he said, calling it a wake-up call for MI before the playoffs.

IPL is tough; this team has five trophies. Any slip-up gives others a chance. This is just a minor setback. We need to learn from it and stay focused for the knockouts, he added. Pandya also noted that MI’s bowling wasn’t sharp on Monday. They capitalized on our mistakes and played some good shots. Overall, we didn’t perform at our best.