Shreyas Iyer Scripts IPL History, Becomes First Captain Ever To…

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer proved yet again that his Indian Premier League (IPL) title triumph last season with Kolkata Knight Riders was no fluke. Iyer, as captain, played pivotal role in KKR’s road to the title last year, though the majority of the credit for the team’s triumph went to the support staff. Leading PBKS to the playoffs, Iyer gave another example of his astute leadership qualities, while also silencing critics questioning his skillset. As Punjab Kings qualified for the playoffs with a victory against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, Iyer scripted history by notching up a never-seen-before milestone in IPL history. 

With Punjab Kings’ qualification to the last four, Shreyas Iyer has become the first captain in the league’s history to lead three different franchises — Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders being the other two – to IPL playoffs. 

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN – MEET SHREYAS IYER, THE FIRST CAPTAIN IN HISTORY TO TAKE 3 DIFFERENT TEAMS TO PLAYOFFS. pic.twitter.com/NJKlgCP3F4

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 18, 2025

Iyer was also pleased that his side displayed the right mindset after being put under the pump by aggressive Rajasthan Royals top-order batters as the visitors survived the carnage. Punjab Kings posted 219 for five but that challenging total looked under threat when Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi rattled up 76 runs in just 4.5 overs for RR.

Harpreet Brar provided the breakthrough by removing both the openers to open up the opportunity for Punjab Kings.

“The guys were in high spirits. We showed the mindset that we wanted to win irrespective of the situation,” Iyer said after the match.

“The body language tends to drop when opposition plays well. Brar is consistent in the nets. Today he stepped in and delivered. His mindset has been tremendous throughout. Absolutely brilliant approach and attitude,” gushed Iyer.

The Punjab skipper revealed that he has suffered a “finger injury” but does not know the extent.

“Don’t know what has happened. Yesterday while practice, I got hit. Will have to check,” he said.

Home side skipper Sanju Samson rued that they could not carry on the momentum from the powerplay.

“It was gettable with the kind of the wicket and outfield. With our batting line-up and power-hitters, we thought it was chaseable. We just have to get the job done and finish off the innings,” he said.

“We have experienced guys, we are trying our best but things are not falling our way. We can’t try much. First priority is to win the game. Try a few options keeping next year in mind.” Punjab Kings pacer Marco Jansen, who played a hand in his team’s win with some good show at the back end, said they just stayed in the game somehow, waiting for the breakthrough.

“The ball was just flying everywhere. For us it was about staying in the game. Talk was about two or three or four good overs. Would bring their run rate down. We did that quite well and finished it off at the back end,” he said.

With PTI Inputs