Shreyas Iyer couldn’t have asked for a better start to his captaincy stint with Punjab Kings.
On Tuesday, he led his side to a convincing eight-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants, marking the Kings’ second win on the trot to start IPL 2025. Shreyas’ team is now slotted second in the points table, only behind RCB on NRR.
Shreyas has also extended his rich vein of batting form — he was India’s top scorer in the Champions Trophy 2025 win — with back-to-back fifties. The 30-year-old has successfully adapted his pronounced open stance from the 50-over format into IPL, accumulating 149 runs in the two games for the Kings without getting dismissed.
Punjab Kings’ Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera against Lucknow Super Giants.
| Photo Credit:
Sandeep Saxena/The Hindu
Punjab Kings’ Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera against Lucknow Super Giants.
| Photo Credit:
Sandeep Saxena/The Hindu
What has stood out for Shreyas this time is his 206.94 strike rate, a significant leap from his IPL career strike rate of 127.47 before the season. Key to this surge has been a noticeable uptick in his six-hitting ability — he has already cleared the ropes 13 times, well on track to surpass his previous season-high of 21 sixes in 2015.
However, it remains to be seen if this improvement is sustainable. The first two games have been played on batting-friendly tracks (Ahmedabad and Lucknow), and his role within Punjab’s setup may afford him more freedom. Whether this marks a long-term transformation or a hot start against favourable matchups will become clearer as the season progresses.
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Another notable shift is how his opened-up stance has minimised his vulnerability to the short ball. In IPL 2025, his false-shot percentage against short balls from pacers is just 11.1%, the lowest it has ever been in an IPL season. He is also striking at 262.50 against that length (21 runs from eight balls), suggesting an intent to overcome his historical weakness.
Shreyas’ confidence with the bat has reflected in his leadership as well. Against Gujarat Titans in the season opener, he marshalled his side to a nervy 11-run win, while against LSG, he used his bowling resources astutely. He rotated four different bowlers in the PowerPlay, with three of them delivering wickets. Against an aggressive Nicholas Pooran, he backed Yuzvendra Chahal’s leg-spin, a risky move given Pooran’s proficiency against that type of bowling. In T20s, Pooran averages 45.40 (best vs any bowling type) against leggies while striking at 161.68. The gamble paid off as Chahal, relying on googlies drifting away from the batter, dismissed the West Indian.
His leadership qualities have drawn praise from Punjab Kings’ fast-bowling coach James Hopes, who previously worked with Shreyas at Delhi Capitals. “He keeps everything calm on the field. The bowlers were raving about it after the first game — how clear he is with communication, how composed he remains under pressure. We’re very lucky to have him as captain,” Hopes said before the LSG match.
Shreyas remains the only captain to have led two different teams into an IPL final — Delhi Capitals in 2020 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. Punjab Kings, a franchise with just one final appearance in 16 seasons, will hope he can change its fortunes too.