Punjab Kings' owner Preity Zinta expressed her delightedness as the franchise opened their IPL 2025 campaign with a 11-run victory over the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Although Shreyas Iyer missed out on his century by merely three runs, the Bollywood actress wrote that 'Some 97’s are better than a hundred'.
Iyer, who made his debut as Punjab Kings' skipper, played a fearless knock of 97 off 42 deliveries that was laced with nine sixes and five fours. Shashank Singh had also later revealed that the skipper was least concerned with his hundred as the former played an invaluable hand of 44 from 16 deliveries that helped Punjab reach a match-winning score of 243.
Taking to X, Zinta wrote:
"What an incredible start to this tournament Some 97’s are better than a hundred. Take a bow @ShreyasIyer15 for showing class, leadership & aggression Loved how the team played as a unit ! A shout out to Vijaykumar Vyshak, Priyansh Arya, Marco Jansen."
"I got four off the first ball, and that gave an immense boost" - Shreyas Iyer
Iyer, who also earned the Player of the Match award, said the first-ball boundary gave him a massive confidence boost and credited their pre-season preparations for the victory.
"Ecstatic, to be honest. Getting 97* in the first match is always the icing on the cake. No better feeling to be honest. It was important for me to go ahead and adapt. I got four off the first ball, and that gave an immense boost. Before the season started, we left no stone unturned. Everyone chips in with their mindset. There's everyone participating and showing interest."
