Former India captain Sourav Ganguly called Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer the ‘most improved’ batter in the last one year following his 42-ball 97-run knock against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Shreyas’ belligerent debut knock helped PBKS post 243 for 5 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, Gujarat Titans could manage only 232, losing the match by 11 runs.

This knock was particularly impressive since Shreyas was dropped from the BCCI’s central contract list for 2023-24. He went back to domestic cricket and rejigged his game to rediscover his mojo.

During his stellar knock, Shreyas smashed nine maximums and five boundaries, countering the menace of short balls - long considered his weakness - with ease.

After watching the right-handed batter flourish following a difficult phase in his career, Ganguly took to X to praisthe batter. “Shreyas iyer, the most improved batsman in the last one year... ready for all formats. Great to see his improvement after a few issues on length.”

While batting on 97 not out, Shreyas also demonstrated his leadership credentials by leaving things to Shashank Singh, letting go of his chance to score a hundred.

Shreyas’ decision proved to be a boon for PBKS as finisher Shashank, fresh at the crease, struck 44 not out off 16 balls, helping his side accumulate crucial death-over runs. The explosive right-handed batter hit five boundaries and two sixes to propel PBKS to 243 for 5.

After the innings, Shashank revealed that his captain had asked him not to worry about his century but rather to focus on posting a big total for PBKS.

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