Punjab Kings added spice to their dominant win over Lucknow Super Giants by sharing a cheeky social media post featuring their captain, Shreyas Iyer. The video showcased Iyer posing in different ways, exuding confidence after leading PBKS to an eight-wicket victory. However, it was the caption that caught everyone’s attention.
“Tension toh auction me hi khatm ho gayi thi (Tension ended in the auction),” a line that seemingly took a subtle dig at LSG captain Rishabh Pant.
The reference, it seems, stems from an earlier interview where Pant had stated that his only concern heading into the IPL 2025 auction was whether Punjab Kings would bid for him.
“I only had one tension, that was Punjab (laughs). They had the highest purse. When Shreyas went to Punjab, I felt I could make it to LSG. There was a possibility. But eventually, with auction you never know, so I just thought I would wait and watch, and had my fingers crossed,” Pant told Star Sports before the season.
Given PBKS’ commanding victory over his side, the post quickly went viral, with fans interpreting it as a fitting response to Pant’s pre-season remarks.
Watch:
Chasing a target of 172 on a tricky surface offering variable bounce, PBKS rode on Prabhsimran Singh’s explosive 34-ball 69. The batter produced an explosive knock, smashing nine fours and three sixes to set up the chase inside the first ten overs. Skipper Shreyas Iyer then provided the finishing touches with a composed 52* off 30 balls, guiding PBKS home in just 16.2 overs.
LSG, on the other hand, struggled to get going from the outset. Their powerplay was disastrous, with the side reeling at 39/3 within the first six overs. Arshdeep Singh (3/43) was the chief destroyer, removing Mitchell Marsh for a duck in the very first over. Aiden Markram showed promise but was undone by Lockie Ferguson’s nip-backer, while Rishabh Pant endured another forgettable outing, dismissed for just two after miscuing a rank short ball from Glenn Maxwell straight to Yuzvendra Chahal.
With Mayank Yadav sidelined indefinitely and lead spinner Ravi Bishnoi enduring a lean patch, LSG’s bowling woes were once again exposed. Shardul Thakur, who went unsold in the initial phase of the auction before being picked up later, and the inconsistent Avesh Khan failed to provide the breakthroughs. Prabhsimran took full advantage, tearing into the pacers and leaving LSG gasping for answers.
While Nicholas Pooran (44 off 30) and Ayush Badoni (41 off 33) offered some resistance, their efforts weren’t enough to propel LSG to a challenging total. Abdul Samad’s quickfire 27 off 12 balls helped push the score past 170, but PBKS had already seized control.
