Captain of Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer Priyansh was impressed after Arya and. Cooper Connolly A brilliant batting performance to lead his team to a 54-run win against Lucknow Supergiants on Sunday. Arya, one of the country’s most talked-about T20 batting talents, combined with Vibhu Suryavanshi for a 37-ball 93, while Connolly, a highly-rated Australian next-generation batsman, scored a 45-ball 87. His partnership of 182 runs off just 80 balls laid the foundation for PBKS who scored 254 runs for 7 wickets. In reply, LSG could score only 200 runs for 5 wickets despite the competition of 43 Rishabh Pant And from 40 Mitchell Marsh. Iyer praised the intention and mindset of both. He described the performance as “extraordinary” and said “some of the shots were jaw-dropping”, highlighting the grit and courage shown at the crease. He also revealed a mild challenge within the group, saying he was “talking to Cooper and Priyansh now” about who would hit the most sixes this season, adding that both were “up for it”. The PBKS captain emphasized that the team environment gives complete freedom to the young batsmen. “When you let them be, go out and express themselves, they deliver,” he said, adding that he doesn’t dictate how they should construct their innings as they follow their own routines and processes. Iyer also gave credit to the support system around the team, citing Ricky Ponting’s involvement before games as he chipped in with inputs. On the bowling group, he said PBKS have a largely international-quality attack and pointed to their performance level as the key to the win, while admitting that the team takes “a lot of satisfaction” from reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The win underscored PBKS’ growing confidence this season, based on attacking intent and clarity in character, as they push for a strong campaign after finishing runners-up in 2025.
