'Just be yourself' - PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer on what he expects from Prabhsimran Singh-Priyansh Arya

Published - 20 Apr 2026, 18:23 IST | Updated - 20 Apr 2026, 18:57 IST

The Punjab Kings have been the dominant force in IPL 2026, being unbeaten in their six games of the season. And a massive factor of their blistering start has been the opening pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya. The pair have scored 211 runs each in five innings. Prabhsimran has played as the accumulator, batting longer and scoring at a strike rate of 171.54. Priyash has been the wrecker-in-chief, scoring his runs at a whopping strike rate of 248.23.

Punjab King skipper Shreyas Iyer spoke about how it is his role to instil confidence in the young batters and their abilities. He gives them the freedom to go out and play freely, with the room to make mistakes. This is a tactic that has so far yielded success for the Kings.

“Whenever I speak to them, my only message is, just be yourself. Don’t try to emulate, mimic, or be someone else. When you are playing at this level, and you are fearless and flamboyant in your own way, you don’t have to resemble or copy anyone. When you tell these guys that they are match-winners, both Prabhsimran and Priyansh Arya, it instils confidence in them,” he said, speaking on JioStar.

The Mumbai-born cricketer also added that the team has been putting in efforts to bond as a group. He spoke of the PBKS’ team room and how they try to spend time there as a squad, which helps in understanding each other better.

“They can just go out there and play freely. They have been delivering for us and hopefully, they continue to do so. We have a team room, which is probably there for every team. We try to spend a lot of time together in that team room before and after games, and whenever we have off days. We come together and build that bond," the PBKS skipper added.

Punjab Kings will be up against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, on Saturday, April 25, in a bid to extend their unbeaten start to the 2026 season and extend their dominance at the top of the table.