Should Shreyas Iyer have retired himself out against RR? Former IPL coach explains: 'It depends on...'

The in-form Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer had a poor day with the bat on Tuesday as his team suffered its first loss of Indian Premier League 2026 with Rajasthan Royals (RR) chasing down 223 to clinch two points in the crucial encounter.

Iyer, the second-highest run-getter of his team, looked out of touch against the Royals and could only muster a laboured 27-ball 30 with only one six and a four. Marcus Stoinis smashed a stunning 62 not out off just 22 deliveries to power the Kings to 222-4 but in the end it did not prove to be enough.

With big-hitters like Marco Jansen and Nehal Wadhera not even getting a chance to bat for PBKS, Iyer is facing flak for his slow approach.

Should Iyer have retired himself out?

Earlier this season, Chennai Super Kings youngster Ayush Mhatre was retired out by the franchise paving way for an explosive Shivam Dube to come out to bat late in the innings. Could Iyer have done a similar thing to fully utilise the batting depth of PBKS?

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South Africa legend and former Mumbai Indians coach Shaun Pollock believes that there were not too many in-form batters left in the dugout for Iyer to retire himself out.

"It depends on who you got to come. So, if Stoinis had played two knocks like he played today, and he is still to come, you could consider. But I don't think there was anyone down the order who you would think would have been in better form," Pollock told Cricbuzz.

He also gave an example of SA20 where he was in the support staff of the losing finalists Pretoria Capitals.

"We had an example in our SA20. We promoted Roston Chase but we had Rutherford who had been in unbelievable form and was striking at over 200. Roston had a bit of a period (of slow batting). We pulled him with two overs to go. Also, we wanted a left-hander at the crease," the former pacer explained.

"So, when you have got someone, then strategically if you're feeling as a captain, yeah, I'm not hitting it today and you want to make a change," he said.

Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle reasoned that Iyer was backing himself to come good because of his form and that played a role in him not thinking about the retire out call.

"If you're a player in form, you're always backing yourself. So he is telling himself yeah I know but I'll probably hit three sixes from here," Bhogle said on Cricbuzz.

Pollock also added that such decisions are becoming a norm in T20 cricket. "It's a brave call, but it is definitely happening more and more," he said.

Iyer has been in phenomenal form as the captain of PBKS and is already the fifth highest six-hitter this season while his team remains on the top of the table despite the loss to the Royals.