It is not very common that you win the Indian Premier League and then do not get retained by the team. It must have hurt Shreyas Iyer that his white-ball credentials still got questioned after having a stunning ODI World Cup 2023 and then the IPL 2024. Iyer returned with his vengeance in the domestic season of 2024, raking in runs in all formats of the game. And then, who can forget the series against England and the Champions Trophy, where he was one of India’s best batters.
However, the arc is not yet complete. Shreyas Iyer, now the captain of Punjab Kings – the second most expensive player in the history of IPL – will be up against his former side, KKR. Iyer has been in never-before-seen touch this season, hitting sixes from ball one – against both spin and pace.
Iyer’s aggression and the will for revenge have rubbed off on the Punjab Kings side as well – a bunch of misfits – who are currently banded together by none other than Ricky Ponting, Iyer’s former coach at the Delhi Capitals. Ponting and Iyer have combined to propel PBKS to a good start this season. Three wins from five games mean that they sit in 6th position on the points table, despite their epic thrashing against SunRisers Hyderabad.
The side will look to shake that off and make sure they put the foot on the pedal once again when they take on KKR at their home ground in Mullanpur.
