Royal Challengers Bengaluru may have broken an 18-year jinx to clinch their maiden IPL trophy, but amid the celebration and heartbreak, former India cricketer Yograj Singh didn’t hold back—launching a blistering attack on Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer for what he deemed a reckless and unforgivable shot selection at a crucial juncture.
“The shot which Shreyas Iyer played in the final was a criminal offence, according to me,” Yograj Singh said, making no attempt to soften his criticism. “Ashok Mankad told me about this criminal offence, which comes under Section 302. He also told me that the repercussions of this is that you will be banned for two matches. What Shreyas did yesterday is not acceptable. There is no apology for that.”
Iyer’s dismissal—caught behind for a paltry one run off two balls, falling to Romario Shepherd—turned the tide of the match. Punjab’s chase, already tense, never quite recovered from the early blow. Chasing 190, Punjab slumped to 79/3 in the 10th over at the fall of Iyer’s wicket as RCB staged a comeback.
Iyer was caught behind off a good length delivery outside off. He walked immediately, acknowledging the faint outside edge.
Virat Kohli leapt in celebration and hugged the bowler – the emotions were understandable, given that Iyer was in red hot form.
The final, while memorable for Bengaluru’s long-awaited triumph, will be equally remembered for the sting in Yograj Singh’s words. His comparison of Iyer’s shot to a criminal act may be hyperbolic, but it underlined the emotional weight of the moment—a captain failing to rise to the occasion, and a title slipping through Punjab’s fingers once again.
Iyer, however, had a stellar IPL, ending up with 604 runs from 17 innings at 50.33.
Iyer was hopeful that Punjab would be a better team with this experience. “Positives, definitely the way we turned up and every individual stepping up and saying that he can win the match, there are so many youngsters in the team, I’m sure they’ve gained a lot of experience from these matches, and when they come next year, they will carry immense experience with them. We can build some tactics and strategies around that so that we can play some decent cricket,” he said.
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