Punjab Kings coach answers whether Shreyas Iyer was shocked, deflated after India Test axe: 'Didn't have to pick him...'
Shreyas Iyer hasn't done much wrong over the last 12 years. From making his comeback into the BCCI's central contracts list to playing a key role in India's Champions Trophy win and now leading Punjab Kings to the IPL Playoffs after 11 long years, Shreyas has ticked most boxes. The one he didn't – at least not entirely – is his battle against the short ball. Why else would the selectors not find a place for him in India's Test squad for the England tour? Although the BCCI chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, did not pinpoint Iyer's Achilles heel and simply said 'there's no place for him' in the squad for now, Shreyas' vulnerability could be a factor behind guys like Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan getting the nod ahead of him.
Nonetheless, Iyer's snub raised a few eyebrows. Mohammad Kaif and Atul Wassan had reservations about the decision, but it turned out Iyer wasn't too bothered about it. Punjab Kings assistant coach Brad Haddin appeared on the LiSTNR Sport podcast, where he was asked whether Shreyas was shocked and deflated to hear the news and if it required the entire unit to put a hand around his shoulder to lift him up.
Also Read: Shreyas Iyer stabbed in the back, said 'fine, I won't utter a word' after being left out of India vs England Tests, says Kaif
"We didn't have to pick him up. His leadership quality around the group has been ultra-aggressive since Day 1. He is coming to camp with a real focus and drive to make Punjab a great cricket franchise. And that's what he has done. He hasn't wavered in his thought process through the whole time. He's been exceptional around our group; he's been exceptional off the field," Haddin told Adam Peacock.
Also Read: Shreyas Iyer's mental state 'unimaginable' after England snub
Shreyas has been nothing but inspirational for Punjab Kings and their rise in the ongoing IPL 2025. With 19 wins from 14 matches and a net-run rate of 0.372 – higher than any other team – PBKS finished at the top of the IPL table by the end of the league stage, with Shreyas leading from the front, having scored 514 runs.
"A lot of people don't see the work he does off the field; not only with the coaching staff but to bring the whole team together. He is very prepared. What I like about him is his cricket IQ. He things on the spot; reads the game really well so he's been top shelf from Day 1. I am not changing anything, any selections," Haddin pointed out.
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Hindustan Times
10 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Fans deserve a better deal from sports administrators
The aftermath of the Bengaluru stampede made for an interesting case study. The police, the politicians, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the franchise were all in a race to shirk responsibility and put the blame on someone else. 'The fans were uncontrollable,' said deputy chief minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar. BCCI quickly issued a statement saying that they had no role in the event. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) said 'the unfortunate incident' only came to light through media reports. The police, meanwhile, said they had not expected so many people to turn up and only deployed 1,000 personnel to manage the lakhs who turned up. While the compensation and financial support announced will help, it isn't the long-term solution India needs. The incident in Bengaluru was tragic, but the reality is that almost every well-attended Indian sporting event could so easily turn into a stampede. People (even if they are senior citizens) are made to walk long distances to the stadium because the parking lots are kilometres away, then they stand in line for hours and finally, enter through bottlenecks with police and private security ever-ready to use the omnipresent lathis. If that isn't enough to make you lose your cool, then comes the actual experience of the game itself. The view from the stands is poor, the toilets stink and the food often runs out. Some stadiums don't even offer the comfort of shade. That this happens in cricket, the most popular game in India, and one managed by the world's richest cricket board, suggests that it is likely the case in other sports as well. It's not that the tickets come cheap. In Bengaluru, the tickets during the IPL 2025 season went for anything between ₹2,300 and ₹42,000. At the top end, this is comparable to prices elsewhere in the world. But if stadium experiences were to be ranked, India would rank somewhere near the bottom. In Australia, by contrast, getting into a stadium means getting dropped by car right at the gate. There are so many volunteers around that help is never far away for the elderly, every stand has spots for the physically disabled and when it is too sunny, they hand out free sunscreen too. One would imagine Cricket Australia makes a lot more money than the BCCI, but it is not even close. To the Indian sports administrator, the fans are little more than cattle. Huddle them in, fill the stands, make them cheer the team and ignore their complaints. For even if they do, there are more than enough people waiting to take your place in the stands. While the number of fans is a boon for the sport, it is a curse for the fans themselves. The stampede must serve as a wake-up call for BCCI, which runs IPL as one of its subcommittees and earns millions of dollars from it. They must put in place protocols for any such celebration so as to ensure no human lives are lost in future. 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In November 2024, the Indian Olympic Association formally sent a Letter of Intent to the International Olympic Committee's Future Host Commission expressing India's interest in hosting the Olympics and Paralympic Games in 2036. The infrastructure will be built, the stadiums will shine and the athletes will compete for glory. But what about the fans? Who, other than the lathi-charging policemen, will cater to them? An estimated 11.2 million people visited the Greater Paris area during the Paris 2024 Olympics — by 2036, the count may be way higher. Does India have a plan in place to deal with this influx? Or will they all be treated like the fans in Bengaluru? The truth is, there is no quick fix for this problem and small but concrete steps will be needed to change things. It may take time but it'll be worth it. Major events are as much about the fans as they are about the athletes. The experience matters to everyone and unless a stern message is sent to the administrators, things won't improve. Being a fan shouldn't be a dangerous business but in India, it clearly is. If the fans want better, they need to make themselves heard in a way that cannot be ignored. Just imagine the message that empty stadiums will send. Treat fans better or play to the sound of silence. The views expressed are personal.
Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Mitchell Starc on not returning to IPL 2025: I'm comfortable with my decision and how I felt about the whole situation and how it was handled
While some of Mitchell Starc's Australian colleagues did return for the Indian Premier League 2025 after Operation Sindhoor, the Delhi Capitals pacer did not. The tournament came to a halt during the game between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals midway through in Dharmsala and resumed on May 17 after the ceasefire was imposed. 'I'm comfortable with my decision and how I felt about the whole situation and how it was handled. That's why I made my decision post-that, and my focus changed to red-ball cricket for about a week prior to coming over here. Time will tell with repercussions or how it looks with guys that didn't return. But I've had my questions and concerns leading into that game, and obviously, we saw what happened, which played a part in my decision,' said Starc, speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald. Players were arranged special train and evacuated from the stadium amidst security concerns after the game was halted. 'Things were handled differently for different players and different teams, the guys up in Dharamsala, the Punjab guys were part of that, and while both teams had similar experiences up there, all those guys returned for Punjab, and Jake Fraser-McGurk and I chose not to. So it was a very individual decision, and I'm happy to live with whatever comes of that,' said Starc. 'I'm still heavily committed to the Delhi group, and I'm not someone that's gone into tournaments and pulled out after being picked up in an auction or whatever that looks like. These are different circumstances,' Starc justified his decision Starc did acknowledge that he took a similar decision at the time of Champions Trophy 2025 where India did not travel to Pakistan for their games instead played them in UAE. 'There was a little bit of that to my decision around the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. And then once the tournament was delayed you start to think about guys' preparation for the Test match,' he added.
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First Post
17 minutes ago
- First Post
'Hope this doesn't stop players and fans': Michael Clarke counters Gautam Gambhir's call to avoid roadshows
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has reacted to the tragic Bengaluru stampede during RCB's IPL 2025 victory celebrations, saying fans should not be kept away from celebrations. His remarks are in contrast to Gautam Gambhir's call for avoiding roadshows. read more Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has reacted to the tragic stampede incident in Bengaluru, which led to 11 deaths and many injuries. Clarke said that fans are the heart of every sport and they should not be kept away from celebrations. He was talking about the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium after Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 victory celebrations. Clarke's comment comes a day after Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir criticised RCB's victory celebrations, saying that he was never in favour of roadshows. Speaking at the team's pre-departure press conference before leaving for England, Gambhir said the celebrations should have been held behind closed doors or inside a stadium, adding that the lives of people are far important. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Michael Clarke reacts to Bengaluru stampede However, Clarke has made a contrasting statement without naming Gambhir, as he believes that no team should be stopped from celebrating with their fans because they are the ones who make the sport worth playing. Speaking on his Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, he also mentioned how deeply Indian players, including Virat Kohli, care for their fans. 'Very true. I think the fans make every game and every competition. The fans in India are phenomenal. I love how every game is packed — even the players know what they're playing for. You listen to Virat and so many others; they love their team, and you want the fans to be a part of it. You want them to celebrate,' Clarke said. 'For RCB, it's devastating to see anybody get injured or, even worse, pass away. It's absolutely heartbreaking. Hopefully, we never see something like this again. I think players should be able to celebrate with fans. Even if it's just packing the stadium and letting the players do a lap of honour at their home ground — something like that. Whatever it is, I hope this doesn't stop players and fans from celebrating together, because the fans truly deserve it,' he added. He ended by sending his condolences to the families of the victims, who were injured or lost their lives in the tragic incident. 'But you never, ever want to see someone get hurt, injured, or worse. My thoughts are with all the families. It's devastating news,' said Clarke, who was part of the commentary team for IPL 2025 final between RCB and Punjab Kings. Who is to blame? Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has suspended the police commissioner and an FIR has been filed against RCB, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and DNA Entertainment, the company responsible for managing the event. The KSCA has shifted the blame to RCB and DNA Entertainment, saying that gate management was their responsibility and the state body only sought government permissions.
