Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 25 (ANI): Following the elemination of Punjab Kings from the 19th edition of IPL, Shresta Iyer, sister of Indian batter Shreyas Iyer, has become the target of trolls with some unfairly labeling her as a “bad luck charm” for Punjab Kings. Shresta slammed the online trolls and pleged to always support her brother.
During the first half of the IPL season, Punjab Kings dominated the points table, winning their first six matches in a row and holding the number one position for nearly a month. However, in second half of IPL, the team struggled to win matches and, eventually on Sunday, it got eleminated from the playoffs race.
Amid Punjab’s unexpected downfall, Shresta found herself at the receiving end of trolls. Many netizens dug out one of her celebratory videos created after the Punjab Kings vs KKR match, which was abandoned due to rain, leading both teams to share one point.
Following the match, Shresta posted the video featuring herself along with other PBKS supporters. In the video, she said, “Saade Punjabiyan da dil vadda hunda ae. Lo, ditta ek point. (We Punjabis are big-hearted. So, we gave you a point).”
While some found the video hilarious at the time, a section of social media users took offense to it. Many even trolled Shresta, with some unfairly labeling her as a “bad luck charm” for Punjab Kings.
Amid the backlash, Shresta on Monday posted two lengthy videos, calling out the trollers. She admitting to receiving hatred messages and how many harassed her and her people.
” Aapko lagta hai woh trolling wali video thi, mere hisaab se woh ek fun banter wali video thi aur uske peeche mere koi bad intentions nahi the. Mai bas mere bhai ke team ko support kar rahi thi,” she said.
“Aap log team ke har ya jeet ke liye family ko blame kar dete ho, ya player ke batting performance ke liye unki wives, sisters ya family ko blame karne lag jaate ho… Main hamesha apne bhai ko support karungi. Jab bhi woh jeetega, main celebrate karungi, aur jab bhi woh harega tab bhi usko support karungi, kyunki main apne support mein hamesha consistent rahungi. Cricket ek aisa game hai jahan pe win aur loss dono hote rehte hain. You are literally harassing me and my people,” Shresta added.
Both KKR and PBKS had contrasting starts to IPL 2026. PBKS, coming in as fan favourites after a 2025 runners up finish, did incredibly well in the first half with six wins, a no result and a record-breaking unbeaten stretch of seven matches. They were seated at the top of the table with 13 points. While KKR, who had been battling a myriad of problems ranging from inconsistent batting to absence of key players, looked absolutely hopeless in the first half. In their first six games, they lost five and one ended in a no result, leaving them at the bottom half of the table.
However for PBKS, poor tactical choices with bat and ball and catch drops led to their form tapering off, as they endured six morale crushing defeats in a row before finally beating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). However for the them, the 15 points earned were not enough. Rajasthan Royals (RR), who earned a total of 16 points, removed PBKS from the fourth position to take the final playoff spot by beating Mumbai Indians (MI) just hours after the 2025 runners-up had regained it following a Shreyas Iyer masterclass at Lucknow.
PBKS finished just one point short of the playoff spot at fifth place. With their net run-rate much healthier than that of RR, PBKS could have sealed the playoff spot had the match against KKR ended in a win for them. The same one point for which KKR was mocked, came to bite back PBKS towards the end of the league stage.
On the other hand, KKR, despite its batting form woes and some injuries, managed to turn things around after their six match winless run, winning six of their next eight games. It was only RR’s win over MI in the penultimate league stage game which sealed their exit.
In the later stages, the Knights’ big-money star player Cameron Green, opener Finn Allen, vice-captain Rinku Singh, spinners Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy played a crucial role in keeping the playoff hope alive.
At one point, both teams had 13 points each, a thought almost unimaginable to the fans a month back. (ANI)
The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.