"He then said, 'No, I'll win the game" - PBKS coach makes stunning Shreyas Iyer revelation from IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 vs MI

Punjab Kings (PBKS) assistant coach Brad Haddin has revealed skipper Shreyas Iyer's words before the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Ahmedabad. With a place in the IPL final up for grabs, PBKS won the toss and elected to bowl first.

MI batted brilliantly to post a massive total of 203/6 in their 20 overs, setting PBKS a seemingly improbable target to win. However, Iyer had other ideas as he produced arguably the best knock of the IPL with a 41-ball 87 to help PBKS complete the run-chase in 19 overs.

PBKS, unfortunately, could not complete their ultimate goal, falling to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final by six runs.

Yet, a week after the IPL, Haddin opened up about how the team had decided on batting first in Qualifier 2 against MI, only for Iyer to change it at the last moment while guaranteeing a win.

On the Grade Cricketer podcast, Haddin recalled (via Hindustan Times):

"You do all you planning for the game and at the stadium in Ahmedabad, everything says bat first. The analytics and the match-ups, go through your team stuff, everything says bat first. We say to him (Shreyas Iyer), 'Yep we are batting first.' But he goes, 'No, we're bowling.' Punter goes, 'okay let the captain make the choice.' He then said, 'No, I'll win the game and I'm going to bat second."

He continued:

"Everything leads to batting first, but we bowl. Then captain comes out in the second innings and plays one of the best knocks in IPL I have ever seen and got us into the final."

Iyer enjoyed a sensational tournament with the bat, finishing with 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07.

"Our captain hasn't got enough credit" - Brad Haddin on Shreyas Iyer

Brad Haddin urged the Indian team management to consider Shreyas Iyer as a strong contender for captaincy in the future. The 30-year-old has enjoyed remarkable success as captain in the last two IPLs, leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title last year before the final run with PBKS in the recently concluded edition.

"Our captain hasn't got enough credit and I hope, when they come down to pick an Indian captain, they really start to consider Iyer. He was outstanding throughout the whole tournament," said Haddin (via aforementioned source).

Shreyas Iyer took over as PBKS captain in IPL 2025, before which the franchise had not qualified for the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons. He also became the first captain in IPL history to lead three separate franchises to the final, having done the same with the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2020.