How Punjab Kings broke the bank for Shreyas Iyer at IPL 2025 Auction on Ricky Ponting's insistence
After a chunk of captaincy and squad shuffles, Punjab Kings broke an 11-year drought on Sunday night in Ahmedabad as they stormed past five-time champions Mumbai Indians to reach their second IPL final. Leading the charge was the inimitable Shreyas Iyer, with the captain and the batter in top form to lead PBKS to a record chase over MI at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Iyer's epic onslaught, an unbeaten 41-ball 87 packed with nine sixes and five fours, steered Punjab to a five-wicket win to break Mumbai's 18-match winning streak while defending 200-plus totals. Iyer's stable leadership has been of vital importance to Punjab's resurgence with a revamped squad since the Mega Auction held in November 2024. The 30-year-old Iyer was Punjab's top picks after having started the team-building process on the back of only two uncapped retentions in Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh.
Iyer's stocks soared as high as Rs 26.75 crore, the second-highest IPL auction bid ever, as Punjab's relentless pursuit finally bore fruit. It took newly appointed head coach Ricky Ponting's relentless commitment to snap up Iyer that made the association and the qualification to the final for the first time since 2014 possible for the Kings.
READ: Fully Ricky Ponting Idea Exchange Interview
'I may have made it sound like the whole team is all about me. It's certainly not. I'm the head coach and responsible for wins and losses, but once the game starts, the team is handed over to the captain. The coach can do very little once the game starts. It was pretty clear with what we did at the auction by bringing Shreyas to this franchise, it was clear to me and the owners that we wanted the best possible Indian captain. We got our man. He's been terrific around the group,' Ponting had told The Indian Express during an Idea Exchange interaction early in the IPL 2025 season.
Ponting insisted that Iyer's nous and leadership abilities were integral for Punjab, adding that the coach did not have a real-time impact on the field.
'I don't think a cricket team coach has the same impact as a football team manager. I like to share my thoughts and ideas with the captain and a few senior players. We don't necessarily include everyone in all tactical decisions, but the relationship between the captain and coach must be as strong as possible. That's why I went for Shreyas in the auction. I've worked with him for a long time in Delhi (Capitals). He's one of the great players and great people I've worked with, and is an IPL-winning captain. We have a terrific relationship, respecting each other's roles.
Making his franchise debut with a stellar 97 not out in a high-scoring game, incidentally against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Iyer went onto cross the 600-run mark for the first time in a season on Sunday.
'You watch him walk out to bat, he walked out with a certain amount of swagger about him because he's confident. He knows if he does his little things right, then he can't fail. That's the thing I always tell the players: if you prepare as well as you can and if you go out and stick to your game plan, you can't fail. Yes, you might make a mistake, but you've done everything you can to make an impact on the game,' remarked Ponting.
Despite his rejuvenated returns in the domestic season, the 30-year-old Iyer was overlooked for India's 18-member Test squad due to take on England later this month. Speaking to the ICC Review, Ponting said that the Mumbaikar has sourced motivation from the snub.
'I actually was gutted…but he's accepted that really well and he's moved on.
'He's just got that real hunger in his eyes to do well every time that he plays for us here and wants to win games of cricket and wants to evolve and develop into the best leader and captain that he can be.'
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