Former India player Wasim Jaffer applauded Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer for his six-hitting ability following the IPL 2026 match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 16. Chasing 196, Iyer scored 66 off 35 balls, striking five fours and four sixes, as PBKS cruised to a seven-wicket win as well.
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Jaffer said, “You have to really appreciate it because the problem with short balls is that once it gets into your head, you are always ready thinking about it. Then even the short ball becomes a problem, and even the fuller ball starts troubling you. But you know, what he has done is outstanding. Now if you bowl short balls or bouncers to Shreyas Iyer, he has made them into scoring shots. He has turned his weakness into his strength. And what hitting ability he has. His six-hitting ability is amazing. That power, that strength, and batting at number four is not an easy position. Yet consistently scoring runs there is impressive.”
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“This is his third consecutive fifty, and Punjab is consistently chasing successfully. Punjab is currently the only team that has not lost in this tournament. They have chased big targets, so it is very creditable the way he’s leading and the way he’s batting. Today in fielding as well, he took one of the best catches you might have seen. He showed great athleticism,” he added.
In the same discussion, Wasim Jaffer also applauded PBKS opener Prabhsimran Singh, who remained unbeaten on 80 off 39 balls, striking 11 fours and two sixes as well.
“An outstanding innings. I always want Prabhsimran Singh to play like this. Today he expressed himself a bit. He has the ability. When he plays those kinds of shots, he completely bamboozles the bowlers. I’ve even heard bowlers say that when Prabh plays, whether it’s practice matches, nets, or even in innings like these, it feels like, ‘where do you even bowl to him?’ But we haven’t seen that consistently at the IPL level. Today he played a bit like that. It was amazing,” he again shared.
“He has the potential, he has the talent. Even last season, he scored 500 runs, but now it feels like there’s a bit more maturity in his game. The habit he used to have of getting out after 25-30 runs, that tendency to throw his wicket away, now he’s taking a bit more responsibility. He converted that into a 50-60 and today an unbeaten 80. So he has a lot of potential, and I just hope he continues and realizes that potential and converts it into consistent performances. He is a very, very talented boy,” he concluded.
