While stationed at the long-off boundary, Iyer produced a stunning piece of athleticism to dismiss Hardik Pandya. He initially took a clean catch near the rope but, realizing the momentum could take him over for a six, he cleverly tossed the ball back into play mid-air. Xavier Bartlett then completed the catch to seal a remarkable dismissal.
The extraordinary effort left Tendulkar in awe, with the legendary batter describing it as one of the finest catches he has ever witnessed in person.
“What made Shreyas Iyer’s catch so special was not just the athleticism, but the awareness behind it… One of the best catches I’ve ever seen live!” Tendulkar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Tendulkar highlighted Iyer’s exceptional awareness, timing, and composure in reading the trajectory of the ball, judging the boundary rope, and executing a perfectly controlled mid-air relay to ensure the dismissal.
Beyond his brilliance in the field, Iyer also delivered with the bat in PBKS’ dominant win. The skipper smashed 66 off just 35 balls, guiding his side to a successful chase of 196 with 21 balls to spare, helping Punjab maintain their unbeaten run in the 2026 IPL season.
So far this season, Iyer has been in outstanding form, scoring 203 runs in four innings at an impressive strike rate of 187.96 and averaging close to 68, establishing himself as Punjab Kings’ standout performer.
