New Chandigarh, April 19 (IANS) Punjab Kings pacer Xavier Bartlett described Shreyas Iyer’s astonishing catch as “unbelievable” and said the franchise is playing to its strengths ahead of their IPL 2026 clash against Lucknow Super Giants.

Iyer left the capacity crowd at the Wankhede Stadium stunned when he flung himself into the air to stop a certain six in the 18th over of the Mumbai Indians innings. The PBKS skipper timed his leap to perfection and parried the ball back into air while airborne, as Bartlett backed him up well to complete a sensational relay catch.

“It (Shreyas Iyer’s effort) was unbelievable. Off the bat, I thought it was coming to me and then Shreyas Iyer was already halfway there. To see it unfold so close and just the presence of mind from him as well to know where I was and throw it back.

“That was probably one of the easier catches that comes off my column, but that’s the stuff he practices day in, day out. It’s just part of his athleticism. To have our best batter also perform those acts on the field, it lifts us other boys out there. So it was amazing seeing it close,” Bartlett said in a pre-game chat with the broadcasters.

The Australian pacer underlined his own desire to contribute with the bat and spoke of the challenge of competing in the IPL, where PBKS are the lone unbeaten side. “I’ve always tried to add value with my batting. It’s obviously the best competition in the world for a reason. Amazing players week in, week out, day in, day out.

“It’s just an amazing privilege to be a part of this wonderful franchise, Punjab Kings. I’m definitely feeling a little bit more at home here. It’s a challenging environment and it’s always nice to rub shoulders with the best players in the world,” he said.

Bartlett added that the team’s approach has been clear in their quest to win the title. “I think at the moment we’re just playing our brand of cricket really well. Every team we play against is unbelievable opposition. But I think we’re just sticking to our strengths really well and hopefully we can keep the ball rolling tonight.”

–IANS

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