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. The legendary batter called it one of the best catches he has ever seen live in a stadium.

“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.

Aaron Finch heaped praise on Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Josh Hazlewood after his Player of the Match-winning performance against the Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday, April 15, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Hazlewood bowled disciplined lines inside the power play and didn’t allow the Lucknow batters to free their arms. He was rewarded for his consistency in the seventh over, as he dismissed the dangerous Nicholas Pooran. In his four-over spell, the Australian pacer gave away just 20 runs and picked up one wicket.

Finch said that no one gets surprised when Hazlewood does well, as cricket enthusiasts are used to his consistency and excellence. The former Australian skipper added that Hazlewood doesn’t concede 50 runs in an IPL game too often.

“The most important thing is that every team that he has played for, whether it has been MI, CSK, where he has won a title, you know what you are going to get day in and day out. That’s what you want as a captain. He’ll run in and he’ll bowl the same stuff day after day and get the results. No one is surprised any time he does well. Because you have to bat really well [against him]. Very rarely do you see him go for 50,” Finch said during a discussion while explaining Hazlewood’s impact as a seamer in the IPL.

They were just going for everything: Ambati Rayudu slams Lucknow Super Giants’ batting

Ambati Rayudu slammed the Lucknow batters, saying that Rishabh Pant and Co. didn’t assess the conditions after being asked to bat first and instead, threw their bats at everything coming their way.

“Good teams assess the conditions really well when you are batting first. I didn’t see anything of that sort happen in the Lucknow batting order. They were just going for everything. You knew that the ball was actually stopping in the pitch. It was bouncing a little more and just gripping a little bit. You know it’s a 170 wicket. You need to play as if you are chasing 170 or 180,” Rayudu said.

Lucknow were bowled out for 146 in 20 overs, with Mukul Choudhary top-scoring with a 28-ball 39. Rasikh Salam Dar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bagged four and three wickets, respectively. In reply, the defending champions romped home with five wickets and 29 balls to spare.

The Karachi Kings have secured the services of England batter Jason Roy as a replacement for the UAE’s Muhammad Waseem for the ongoing 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) season. 

Waseem, along with his compatriot Khuzaima bin Tanveer, have been called to the UAE squad for their upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 matches in Nepal.

Roy is no stranger to the PSL. The right-handed batter has played a total of six seasons, representing Lahore Qalandars in 2016 and the Quetta Gladiators from 2017 to 2024. He has gone on to score 1,260 runs from 28 games in his career in Pakistan at a strike-rate of 146.51. Roy has scored two hundreds in the tournament, including hitting an unbeaten 145 against Peshawar Zalmi in 2023, which is the highest individual score in PSL history. 

“Known for his fearless striking and vast experience in the T20 circuit, Roy is no stranger to the PSL, where he has consistently been one of the most destructive overseas batters. His arrival is set to bolster the Kings’ top order as the tournament enters its most critical phase,” the Karachi Kings statement read.

Waseem played five times for the Karachi Kings this season and went on to score just 86 runs at an average of 17.20 whilst striking at around 118. Roy, meanwhile, is a much more attack-minded batter and can easily replace the Emirati batter as an opener alongside South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks.

The Karachi Kings are currently fourth in the PSL standings after picking up six points from five matches. They won their first three games of the season before suffering two consecutive defeats. 

Roy last played professional cricket in the Middle East, representing the ILT20-winning Desert Vipers squad. The England batter, however, had a quiet tournament, scoring just 30 runs from four innings. 

The 35-year-old last represented the Three Lions in 2023 and has since lost his Central Contract. He is, however, still a regular in the Vitality Blast, representing Surrey and in The Hundred. He was most recently picked up by MI London in the first-ever Hundred auction for GBP 31,000.