Tendulkar Hails Shreyas Iyer’s Relay Catch as One of the Best He Has Seen
Sachin Tendulkar praised Shreyas Iyer’s boundary catch to remove Hardik Pandya, a mid-air relay finished by Xavier Bartlett, in Punjab’s win over Mumbai.
By SportCricket Desk · 17 Apr 2026 · 2 min read
Sachin Tendulkar has singled out a boundary catch by Shreyas Iyer in the match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings as one of the finest he has watched in person.
The catch
Iyer was fielding at long-off when Hardik Pandya hit the ball in his direction. He took the catch cleanly near the rope, but sensed his momentum would carry him over the boundary for a six. So he threw the ball back into play while still in the air, and Xavier Bartlett gathered it to complete the dismissal.
Tendulkar wrote on X that the awareness behind the effort made it special as much as the athleticism, adding that it was one of the best catches he had seen live. He highlighted Iyer’s timing, composure and judgement of both the ball’s flight and the boundary rope.
An all-round night for the captain
Iyer also shone with the bat. The Punjab skipper made 66 off 35 balls as his side chased down 196 with 21 balls remaining, keeping the team unbeaten in IPL 2026.
His season has been outstanding so far: 203 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 187.96 and an average close to 68, making him Punjab Kings’ standout performer.
