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In the IPL 2026, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been enjoying their unbeaten run. So far, they have secured six wins in seven matches and have a net run rate (NRR) of +1.333 and 13 points. One of their matches was abandoned due to rain.
The Kings will gear up to clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Tuesday at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.
Ahead of the clash, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer spoke about how he overcame his weakness of facing short balls.
“People said I would never fix my short-ball problem. That triggered me. I wanted to prove them wrong by performing well. So, I worked hard on it. Earlier, I would just take a single or try to keep the ball down. But now my mindset has changed. If I see a short ball in my zone, I am going to hit it for a six. I work with Pravin Amre. I have been with him since I was young,” he said on JioStar.
The right-handed batsman then revealed that he tries to play more than 300 balls, which in turn helps him understand things related to batting.
“I also talk to coaches like Abhishek Nayar. We share ideas. During my batting practice, I now try to play around 50 overs and face over 300 balls. That helps me understand what works for me,” said Iyer.
The Mumbai-born cricketer then explained how the rigger movement during batting helps him create a rhythm. He also cited the examples of AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
“I don’t follow a fixed pattern. I give myself more time in the middle and face real bowlers, not just sidearm throws. The more I face bowlers, the clearer my movement becomes. I focus on creating a rhythm. Just before the bowler delivers, I try to get into my position quickly. That creates a flow. You must have seen AB de Villiers do that. Even Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have that rhythm before playing their shots. I try to do the same,” explained the 31-year-old cricketer.
IPL 2026, Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: Full Squads
Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad.
Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Perala, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Jofra Archer, Kuldeep Sen, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma.
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