'I want to express myself as much as I can' - Priyansh Arya sheds light on his batting mindset after century against CSK

In the 22nd match of IPL 2025 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), PBKS opener Priyansh Arya played a sensational knock, scoring a terrific century and smashing the CSK bowlers all over the ground. His explosive innings helped Punjab post a formidable total of 219.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, PBKS got off to a flying start in the very first over bowled by Khaleel Ahmed. The left-hander set the tone early by hitting two sixes. However, in the following over, Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Prabhsimran Singh. Despite wickets tumbling at the other end, the opener anchored the innings, dispatching every loose delivery.

The 24-year-old eventually fell in the 14th over to Noor Ahmad after scoring a blazing 103 off just 42 balls, which included seven fours and nine sixes. His knock laid a strong foundation for the middle order to capitalise, with late fireworks from Shashank Singh (52*) and Marco Jansen (34*) pushing the team to a big total.

Also read: IPL 2025: Best Catch of the Match - Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 22

After the century, the left-hander reflected that he felt inner confidence. He admitted that he was inspired by Shreyas Iyer’s advice to trust his instincts and aimed to play freely, capitalising on favorable conditions and targeting early breakthroughs.

“I’m not expressive but getting a very good feeling from within. In the last game, Shreyas Iyer talked about backing your instincts, he suggested me to play the way I want to. I was thinking that if I get the first ball in my slot, I will definitely hit it for a six. I want to express myself as much as I can and not restrict myself. The ball is coming nicely onto the bat, the ball is not turning much, so we have to bowl well in the powerplay and take wickets,” said Arya in the innings-break to the host broadcaster.

With PBKS posting a humongous target, CSK were left needing 220 runs to secure their second win of the season, while PBKS looked to bounce back strong after their previous loss.