India, May 18 -- Punjab Kings made an unexpected switch during their match against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday evening, withdrawing captain Shreyas Iyer during the mid-innings break and sending in left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar as their Impact Player before Rajasthan Royals began their chase of a daunting 221. The commentators on-air informed that Iyer, who had come out for the toss and batted, was carrying a niggle and was unable to take the field, obliging the side to hand the leadership reins to Shashank Singh for the defence of a total that kept their playoff charge on track.

Iyer's absence robbed Punjab of an experienced voice in the ring, but the 30-year-old had already played a steady hand with the b...