Shreyas Iyer eyes title glory (Image: IPL/PBKS) Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer has made it clear that while the ultimate goal is to lift the IPL 2026 trophy, the team is firmly focused on staying in the present and playing one game at a time. Under the leadership of Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting, PBKS have emerged as one of the standout teams this season. They remain the only unbeaten team so far, winning four out of five matches, with one match wiped out by rain.Speaking at JioStar, Iyer emphasized the importance of mindset and consistency over long-term thinking.“Obviously the mission is to lift the trophy. But I always feel that the more you stay in the present, the more you stay in control of what’s in your hands at that moment and you just have to go full throttle. You don’t have to think too far ahead or dwell on the past,” Iyer said.
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Ajinkya Rahane press conference: On another defeat, Cameron Green and more He added that the team is focused on self-improvement rather than external pressure.”I repeat the same thing to my teammates, that when we are out there, we play for ourselves, not against the opponent. We just want to improve every day and make sure we do our best. When everything comes together and creates synergy, everything falls into place,” he added. PBKS came close to glory last season but fell short in the IPL 2025 final, losing by six runs to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The narrow defeat only strengthened their determination this year.In their last outing, Punjab Kings produced a dominant all-round performance against Mumbai Indians. Batting first, MI posted a competitive 195/6, powered by Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 112 off 60 balls and a 122-run partnership with Naman Dhir, who scored a quick-fire 50.However, the PBKS bowlers led by Arshdeep Singh kept things in check. The left-arm pacer bowled a match-winning spell of 3/22 in his four overs to win the Man of the Match award.In reply, PBKS chased down the target comfortably in just 16.3 overs to finish on 198/3. Prabhsimran Singh played a blistering unbeaten 80 off 39 balls while Iyer anchored the innings with a smooth 66 off 35 balls. After early setbacks, the pair put together a vital partnership and ensured there were no late hiccups.Despite Allah Ghazanfar picking up two wickets for MI, the bowling unit struggled to contain the aggressive PBKS batting line-up.
