Former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Shaun Pollock has given a tough verdict on whether Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer should have retired. The debate started after Iyer scored a slow 30 off 27 balls during the IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 28.
Punjab Kings suffered their first defeat of the season. Rajasthan Royals chased the target of 223 runs at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium. Shreyas Iyer’s slow innings proved costly in the final result. Marcus Stoinis scored unbeaten 62 runs off 22 balls, which included four fours and six sixes.
It would have been a brave decision – Shaun Pollock on Shreyas Iyer’s slow innings
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the thrilling encounter, Shaun Pollock dismissed the idea that Shreyas Iyer should have retired against Rajasthan Royals. He explained that such bold strategic decisions depend on the form of the batsmen waiting in the dugout of Punjab Kings.
Pollock said, “It depends on who you are picking next. If Stoinis had already played two innings as he did in this game and he still had to come, then you could consider it. But there was no one else lower down the order who was in better form. It would have been a brave decision.”
His intention was the same but… – Shaun Pollock on Shreyas Iyer
Shaun Pollock further said that Shreyas Iyer showed the right intent, but his usual timing deserted him during his 27-ball stay against the Rajasthan Royals bowlers.
“His intention was right there, and he was swinging at times. But he couldn’t get close to the connection he wanted. You have one of these days where you try as hard as you can, but the timing just isn’t on. I wouldn’t read too much into it, but it will be something where he’ll look at himself. No one will bring it to his attention, but he’ll be conscious to make sure he doesn’t fall into that trap again,” Pollock said (via the above source from).
Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle offered another perspective as to why Iyer did not retire. He suggested that the in-form batsmen should have confidence in themselves to recover even after a slow start.
Bhogle said, “If you are an in-form player, you are always backing yourself. So he is saying to himself that yes, I know, but I will probably hit three sixes from here.”
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Donovan Ferreira lead Rajasthan Royals to 222 chase win
After losing the toss and batting first, Punjab Kings scored a strong score of 222 runs. Prabhsimran Singh scored 59 while Marcus Stoinis produced incredible fireworks late on, scoring an unbeaten 62 off just 22 balls and taking the total past 220.
Rajasthan Royals responded with aggressive intent during the powerplay. Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 43 runs in just 16 balls, while Yashasvi Jaiswal added 51 runs in 27 balls, providing a strong start to the chase.
Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey ultimately sealed the victory. Ferreira remained unbeaten on 52 off 26 balls, while Dubey scored 31 off 12 balls to help Rajasthan Royals win against Punjab Kings with four balls to spare.
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