Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], April 5 (ANI): Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer opened up about playing in Punjab ahead of his side's first home Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mullanpur. He appreciated the 'cordial' nature of the people and the 'variety' of food available in the state.

A red-hot PBKS, after having secured two away wins against the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), will begin their home leg against RR, who are currently in the ninth spot with one win and two losses.

In a video posted by the official IPL website, Shreyas referred to Punjab as a 'pind', a Punjabi word for village.

'I call it pind. People are very sweet, cordial and loving. On top of that, you have a lot of varieties of food. It has been a great homecoming. We are off to a great start. The boys are in high spirits. Each individual has contributed and been comprehensive in their role. We are sharing a lot of joy around the team, and that is very important. We have to keep the camaraderie going,' said Shreyas.

The skipper also spoke about his 'magnificent' bonding with head coach Ricky Ponting, with their relationship going back to their Delhi Capitals days.

'Ricky Ponting is a masterclass when it comes to sharing ideas and giving inputs. He has immense experience in strategizing things. Also, in tactically making the move, he is sensational. All these little inputs matter in the game. The bonding has been magnificent from the start. I understand him; he understands me,' he added.

Shreyas said that he likes 'staying in present'.

'When I play, I focus on winning. That is what I keep telling myself: I want to win; I want to lift the trophy. I keep embracing the moment,' he concluded.

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Kumar Kartikeya, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Akash Madhwal

Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Praveen Dubey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vishnu Vinod, Harpreet Brar, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kuldeep Sen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash. (ANI)