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Iyer claims best IPL score to power Punjab to winning start

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18 hoursCricket

Shreyas Iyer made a winning start with the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, scoring an unbeaten 97 in their 11-run victory over the Gujarat Titans.

The Kings were also helped by IPL debutant Priyansh Arya, while Shashank Singh also impressed as they posted a daunting score of 243-5.

Though the Titans put up a fight, they fell just short in their chase.

Punjab made an aggressive start, though Arya got a reprieve early on. He was dropped by Arshad Khan, who then held on to send Prabhsimran Singh walking for just five in the second over.

Arya impressed on his competition debut, plundering 47 off 23 balls before being dismissed by Rashid Khan, who took his 150th wicket in the IPL, as his googly was directed straight at Sai Sudharsan.

Iyer's impact was even more eye-catching, as he set the tone for his new side from the off. He brought up his half-century off 27 balls, with his final 47 runs coming off just 15.

He stood firm while Glenn Maxwell was trapped lbw for a first-ball duck, the 19th time he has failed to score in the IPL, by Sai Kishore (3-30), who also skittled Azmatullah Omarzai (16) and Marcus Stoinis (20), but Shashank tacked on another 44 runs late in the Punjab innings. 

Shubman Gill kickstarted the Titans' chase by smashing 33 off 14 balls, but Maxwell soon claimed the big scalp.

The Titans kept ticking over, though, with Sudharsan scoring 74 and Jos Buttler adding 54 on his first outing since leaving the Rajasthan Royals, before Punjab finally took their chance to catch the former.

Gujarat were in a good position at the end of the 12th over with Sherfane Rutherford (46) proving his worth as an impact sub, but he was no match for Punjab's own arrival.

Vyshak Vijay Kumar entered the fray, and though he did not take any wickets, he helped keep the scoring down to ensure the Titans finished on 232-5.

Data Debrief: Iyer steals the spotlight

In one of the big stories of November's auction, Iyer briefly became the most expensive buy in IPL history, only to lose that honour to Rishabh Pant of the Lucknow Super Giants.

Iyer had the chance to claim his first IPL century here, but he did not face a single ball in the final over as Shashank finished Punjab's innings.

In fact, Faf du Plessis (37) and MS Dhoni (24) are the only active IPL players who have reached 50 more times than Iyer (22) without scoring a century.

During his impressive innings, he plundered five fours and nine maximums, his second-most sixes in an innings in the IPL - his best is 10.

There was also a milestone for Rashid Khan, who became the fourth foreign bowler and 12th overall to get to 150 wickets in the competition. Only Lasith Malinga (19.79 vs 21.76) has a better average than him.