Former batting icon Sachin Tendulkar has heaped praise on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer after his stupendous fielding effort against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 16. 

Whilst guarding the long off boundary, Iyer took a sublime catch off a Hardik Pandya shot, only to reverse cup the ball whilst being airborne to avoid the ball going for a six, with Xavier Bartlett completing the catch. 

Tendulkar was left in awe of Iyer’s agility and game awareness and praised the India batter for his judgment in doing everything correctly, to not only prevent a boundary but to dismiss a dangerous batter in Hardik.

“What made Shreyas Iyer’s catch so special was not just the athleticism, but the awareness behind it. He had to judge the speed of the ball, the height, where the boundary rope was, how close he was to stepping on it, and get his jump absolutely perfect. Then, while still in the air, he caught the ball and released it to a teammate before landing, all the while knowing exactly where that fielder was positioned.

To process all of that in a split second takes unbelievable awareness, timing, fitness, and composure. @ShreyasIyer15 got everything spot on. One of the best catches I’ve ever seen live!” Tendulkar posted on X (formerly Twitter). 

Iyer’s contribution in the field was not the only praiseworthy activity he carried out during the game against MI. The PBKS captain once again played an outstanding innings with the bat to help his side maintain their unbeaten start to the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 31-year-old scored 66 from just 35 balls to help PBKS chase down 196 with 21 balls to spare. Iyer has been the Kings’ best batter this season, hitting 203 runs from four innings at a strike-rate of 187.96, whilst averaging close to 68.