Shreyas Iyer had a rare dip in form with the bat as the Punjab Kings fell to their first defeat of Indian Premier League 2026 on Tuesday which allowed Rajasthan Royals to gun down a huge target of 223 to win by six wickets in what was a massive high-scoring affair. Having come into this match in great form with the bat, Iyer found it tough to get his timing right on the night. The top-order batsman could only manage 30 runs in 27 deliveries with only a boundary and a maximum in that knock, which hindered the momentum of Punjab when it mattered and reduced the scoring-rate. Though the explosive Marcus Stoinis managed to make up for that with an outstanding unbeaten 62 in just 22 balls in the death overs the final total read only 222/4 which proved to be too less. That innings of the top-order batter has however put into debate especially as quick hitters like Marco Jansen and Nehal Wadhera were waiting in the dug-out for their chance with the bat. Many questioned if the Punjab batter could have retired himself out to bring in a faster scoring player at the crease. Former SA pace-ace Shaun Pollock stated that a retirement-out is dependant on the resources the team has at the end. Former South Africa International said to Cricbuzz: "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 further quoted an example of it in SA20: "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," Also Read | Record-Breaking Knock Sees Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Become IPL’s Top Scorer Pollock added: "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." Broadcaster Harsha Bhogle opined differently Bhogle said: "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." Pollock mentioned that it has become common for batsmen to opt for such calls. "It's a brave call, but it is definitely happening more and more," said Pollock. Punjab's total was primarily built on a good knock by Prabhsimran Singh (59) and the fiery batting by Stoinis in the end. But Rajasthan displayed controlled aggression to reach their target comfortably. Youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hammered 43 off just 16 deliveries at the top and was equally supported by Yashasvi Jaiswal who slammed 51 in just 27 balls as the chase was a perfect one. The final push came from Donovan Ferreira (unbeaten 52) and Shubham Dubey (31 off 12 deliveries) who chipped in with an aggressive partnership that ensured the Royals crossed the finish line with four balls to spare. In what was an extraordinary chase by Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings remained high in the tournament standings, but were put through the wringer on this occasion.