‘Put ego in pocket’: Tom Moody slams Shreyas Iyer’s reckless approach after Punjab Kings’ defeat against RCB in IPL 2025 Qualifier 1

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It was a night of contrasting fortunes at Mullanpur as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) thrashed Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025 to book their place in the final. While RCB played with clarity and control, PBKS were undone by nerves and poor decision-making, particularly from their captain, Shreyas Iyer, whose reckless shot selection came under sharp criticism from former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody.

Having made their first playoff appearance since 2014, expectations were high for PBKS. But the side never really got going. After RCB skipper Rajat Patidar opted to field first, the Punjab batting order collapsed like a house of cards. Within the powerplay, they were reeling at 50/5. The responsibility to anchor the innings fell on captain Shreyas, but he perished for a low score after a tentative start against Josh Hazlewood.

Hazlewood, leading RCB’s pace battery, bowled with surgical precision, targeting Iyer’s known weaknesses. Hazlewood, along with spinner Suyash Sharma, ran through the PBKS lineup, taking three wickets apiece and keeping the pressure on throughout. Iyer, who has historically struggled against Hazlewood in T20s, once again failed to counter the Aussie, falling for a poor shot after just a few deliveries.

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Former Australian cricketer and coach Moody didn’t mince words while reacting to Iyer’s dismissal. Moody called out Iyer for not assessing the match situation and allowing past battles with Hazlewood to cloud his judgement.

“The first ball he played and missed – the perfect line that you’d expect Hazlewood to bowl. He sort of played at it, but didn’t really want to play at it. And then, that third ball he got out. To me, he totally misread the game situation and his own situation. Yes, he would be aware that Hazlewood has had him a few times in the past. He would know the exact numbers,” Moody remarked in a chat at ESPNcricinfo.

Moody emphasized the importance of setting aside ego and adapting to the situation, criticizing a player’s decision to chase personal redemption rather than play smart cricket. He described it as a failure to read the moment, where instead of calmly accumulating runs and simply seeing off Hazlewood, the player let past struggles influence his judgment, leading to a costly mistake.

“At times, you need to put your ego in your pocket and just move forward. To me that was the perfect example of not reading the situation – trying to overcome something that has been a darkness in the past instead of just swallowing your pride and just moving on by just accumulating. You only had to see Hazlewood out,” added Moody.

Notably, the statistics only underline Moody’s concerns. In 22 deliveries faced against Hazlewood in T20s, Iyer has managed just 11 runs and has been dismissed four times. An average of 2.75 against a particular bowler in the format reflects a clear mismatch and calls for a more thoughtful approach, especially in a knockout game.

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