The Punjab Kings reached their first playoffs in the Indian Premier League in 11 years as Shreyas Iyer took the reins of the side in 2025, while finishing top of the table.
However, despite finishing at the top, the Kings got completely outplayed at their home in the first Qualifier against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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As a result of being bundled for 101, which was chased by RCB in 10 overs, PBKS will have to play Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad to stand a chance of reaching the final.
Now, as they prepare to face-off against the winner of the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans game, captain Iyer has sent out a strong message — instilling belief among the fans.
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Lost the battle, not the war: Iyer's message after Qualifier 1 defeat
Speaking to the broadcasters in his post-match interview in Mullanpur, the 30-year-old kept his levels of optimism up and made fans believe in a comeback after getting outplayed at home.
He backed all his in-game decisions while feeling the need of going back to the drawing board.
"Not a day to forget, but we have to go to the drawing board. We were befuddled and lost a lot of wickets. Something to go back and study. Not doubting my decisions in terms of planning. Outside of the ground, it was on point. Couldn't execute, can't blame our bowlers. It was such a low total. Got to work on our batting, on this wicket."
Iyer also assessed the conditions of the Mullanpur venue — saying the pitch has had a variable bounce throughout the season as he sent the message.
"In all games here, there has been a variable bounce. Can't give such reasons because we are professionals and we have to live up to it. We have lost the battle but not the war," he emphasized.
When will PBKS play the qualifier 2?
The second qualifier match of the season is scheduled to be played in Ahmedabad, where PBKS will face the winner of Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans and Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians on June 1.