IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer faces criticism after his dismissal to Josh Hazlewood in PBKS vs RCB clash, with experts advising him to ‘keep his ego in check’ following the heated moment.

Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody had a stern message for Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, advising him to “keep his ego in his pocket” after the skipper threw away his wicket to Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Josh Hazlewood during Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025 season on Thursday in Mullanpur.
The home side crumbled under pressure, collapsing for just 101 runs in under 15 overs. RCB made light work of the chase, cruising to victory and booking their spot in the final, which is set to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3.
Shreyas played a reckless shot that led to his dismissal, drawing sharp criticism from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar during commentary. Following the incident, Punjab Kings’ head coach Ricky Ponting was seen having an intense conversation with Shreyas in the dressing room.Shreyas Iyer urged to ‘put ego aside’ after dismissal by Hazlewood: ‘A perfect example of not reading the situation
Shreyas attempted an ungainly slog off Hazlewood on the fourth delivery of the third over. Looking to muscle it over the leg side, the right-hander was undone by the extra bounce. The mistimed shot ballooned in the air, and Jitesh Sharma made no mistake with a straightforward catch. Shreyas departs after scoring just 2 runs from 3 deliveries.
Josh Hazlewood has an impressive record against Shreyas Iyer in T20s, having dismissed him four times. The Punjab Kings captain has struggled against the Australian pacer, averaging just 2.75.
Sometimes, you have to set your ego aside and simply move forward. To me, this was a clear case of misreading the situation—trying to conquer a past failure rather than accepting it, swallowing your pride, and focusing on building momentum,” said Moody on ESPNcricinfo’s Timeout.
All you had to do was survive Hazlewood. It was straightforward — just weather his spell, then focus on breaking down the rest of their attack,” he said.
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Moody also criticized Shreyas for misreading the game, stating that he should have been more cautious, especially given his poor track record against the Australian pacer in the shortest format.
The first ball he faced was exactly the perfect line you’d expect from Hazlewood. He seemed to hesitate, almost unsure whether to play at it. Then, on the third ball, he got out,” said Moody.
In my view, he completely misunderstood both the game situation and his own circumstances. He would definitely be aware that Hazlewood has dismissed him several times before and would know the precise statistics,” he added.
In the IPL 2015 season, Shreyas Iyer scored 516 runs with an impressive average of 46.91 and a striking strike rate of 170.86.
Punjab Kings will now face the winner of the Gujarat Titans vs. Mumbai Indians match in Qualifier 2, scheduled to take place on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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