IPL 2025: What makes Shreyas Iyer's captaincy success at Punjab Kings extra special
Former India opener Aakash Chopra praised Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, explaining what made his leadership success at Punjab Kings in the 2025 IPL season very special. Speaking on JioStar, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Shreyas has consistently turned underperforming franchises like Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings into genuine contenders, often without the luxury of building the teams himself.Thrust into the captaincy midway through the 2018 season after Gautam Gambhir stepped down, Shreyas Iyer inherited a struggling Delhi Capitals (DC) side. Although DC finished last that year, Shreyas brought stability and direction to the franchise. Over the next three seasons, he led them to the playoffs each time, culminating in a historic appearance in the 2020 IPL final - the first in the team's history.advertisementIn 2022, Shreyas took charge of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The campaign proved underwhelming, with KKR finishing seventh, and a back injury sidelined him for the entire 2023 season. Nitish Rana stepped in as interim captain. Iyer returned in 2024 and made an immediate impact, guiding KKR to their third IPL title - and first in a decade.
"It's actually been an incredible journey, especially because he has been with less celebrated teams-except if you leave out KKR, since they already had two titles when he joined. Otherwise, he's been with Delhi and Punjab-teams that have never won. He took Delhi to the playoffs two years in a row, even to the final. Then what he has done with Punjab was commendable too," Aakash Chopra said.Punjab Kings made a bold statement when they spent Rs 26.75 crore to sign Shreyas Iyer, making him the second-most expensive player in IPL auction history. Head coach Ricky Ponting had already picked the squad, so Shreyas Iyer had no role in building the team. But he took charge, imposed his leadership, and delivered results. Under his captaincy, PBKS reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and finished in the top two at the end of the league stage.advertisementTheir turnaround has been among the standout stories of the season. Punjab, long seen as perennial underachievers, now look like a side with belief and balance."And here's something very interesting, this is not a team he built. Often, you see captains leading before a mega auction, so it becomes their team. They make the picks, they know the vision behind each choice. But here, the team was already formed and then handed over to him. So he had to plan based on what he had and work around that."From that point of view, he's done a great job. As a batter, Shreyas Iyer has played a huge role. Because from the beginning, he commanded respect just by scoring runs-people naturally start respecting you when you perform. He rarely moved from the number three position throughout. He said, 'There are several captain-like figures around me-two batters before me and two after me in the batting order-so I have to be the anchor in the middle."Shreyas Iyer has led by example throughout the season. He didn't shy away from the spotlight or hide in the batting order during challenging phases. Instead, he held his place at No. 3 and anchored the innings whenever required.advertisement"And this isn't someone who hid from responsibility. Sometimes captains try to hide-dropping down the order, saying their form isn't great or the pressure is too much. But he didn't do that. He also brought in someone like Joe English with him, so I think he's done a phenomenal job," Aakash Chopra added.Shreyas Iyer's captaincy will face its biggest test yet when table-toppers PBKS take on second-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 on Thursday. Stay updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. Don't miss a moment! You May Also Like
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