IPL 2025: What makes Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy success at Punjab Kings additional special-OxBig News Network

Former India opener Aakash Chopra praised Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, explaining what made his management success at Punjab Kings within the 2025 IPL season very particular. Speaking on JioStar, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Shreyas has persistently turned underperforming franchises like Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings into real contenders, usually with out the posh of constructing the groups himself.

Thrust into the captaincy halfway by the 2018 season after Gautam Gambhir stepped down, Shreyas Iyer inherited a struggling Delhi Capitals (DC) aspect. Although DC completed final that 12 months, Shreyas introduced stability and course to the franchise. Over the subsequent three seasons, he led them to the playoffs every time, culminating in a historic look within the 2020 IPL remaining – the primary within the crew’s historical past.

In 2022, Shreyas took cost of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The marketing campaign proved underwhelming, with KKR ending seventh, and a again damage sidelined him for your complete 2023 season. Nitish Rana stepped in as interim captain. Iyer returned in 2024 and made a right away affect, guiding KKR to their third IPL title – and first in a decade.

“It’s really been an unbelievable journey, particularly as a result of he has been with much less celebrated teams-except if you happen to omit KKR, since they already had two titles when he joined. Otherwise, he is been with Delhi and Punjab-teams which have by no means gained. He took Delhi to the playoffs two years in a row, even to the ultimate. Then what he has finished with Punjab was commendable too,” Aakash Chopra mentioned.

Punjab Kings made a daring assertion after they spent Rs 26.75 crore to signal Shreyas Iyer, making him the second-most costly participant in IPL public sale historical past. Head coach Ricky Ponting had already picked the squad, so Shreyas Iyer had no position in constructing the crew. But he took cost, imposed his management, and delivered outcomes. Under his captaincy, PBKS reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and completed within the prime two on the finish of the league stage.

Their turnaround has been among the many standout tales of the season. Punjab, lengthy seen as perennial underachievers, now seem like a aspect with perception and stability.

“And here is one thing very attention-grabbing, this isn’t a crew he constructed. Often, you see captains main earlier than a mega public sale, so it turns into their crew. They make the picks, they know the imaginative and prescient behind every selection. But right here, the crew was already shaped after which handed over to him. So he needed to plan based mostly on what he had and work round that.

“From that viewpoint, he is finished an ideal job. As a batter, Shreyas Iyer has performed an enormous position. Because from the start, he commanded respect simply by scoring runs-people naturally begin respecting you if you carry out. He hardly ever moved from the quantity three place all through. He mentioned, ‘There are a number of captain-like figures round me-two batters earlier than me and two after me within the batting order-so I’ve to be the anchor within the center.”

Shreyas Iyer has led by instance all through the season. He didn’t draw back from the highlight or conceal within the batting order throughout difficult phases. Instead, he held his place at No. 3 and anchored the innings at any time when required.

“And this is not somebody who hid from accountability. Sometimes captains attempt to hide-dropping down the order, saying their type is not nice or the strain is an excessive amount of. But he did not try this. He additionally introduced in somebody like Joe English with him, so I feel he is finished an outstanding job,” Aakash Chopra added.

Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy will face its largest check but when table-toppers PBKS tackle second-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 on Thursday.