The history of Shreyas Iyer with Punjab became the first captain to win a back-to-back IPL title with potentially individual teams.
Failure can make or break a person. In the case of Shreyas Iyer, it made him a real champion. Ever since he was removed from BCCI’s central contract, whoever touched Iyer turned into gold. He switched to domestic cricket and won the Ranji Trophy (23/24), Iranian Cup and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The SMAT was not the only T20 championship for him, as Iyer made remarkable and took Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in his first IPL title in a decade.
This year, Iyer was already an X-Factor in India’s historic ODI Champions Trophy 2025 Triumph. Now, he is just two steps away from completing another history. The 30-year-old has a golden opportunity to become the first captain to win two back-to-back IPL titles with two different teams. Yes, his Punjab Kings (PBK) have not only qualified for the IPL 2025 playoffs, but have also sealed a place in qualifier 1.
Great batsman, even better captain: Shreyas Iyer
It is called the best captain of the Indian Premier League 2025 for Iyer. Well, the captaincy can sometimes be overred. The saying “A captain is just as good as his team” can be correct in many cases. For Iyer, it can also be a favorable. But you cannot remove anything from Iyer’s leadership. One reason was that PBKs were ready to prepare for about Rs 27 crore to get their services. He may not be the best T20 batsman ever, but whatever Iyer provides is nothing.
He does not go to overboard. Or to be tight. Mumbai -born did not slam his chest in a moment of Jubilee and Election. Rather, Iyer remains level-oriented and goes about his business in a practical way. While association with Ricky Ponting has definitely helped, Iyer has been a terrible leader, at least to say.
Best IPL 2025 captain for one reason
The man, who is waiting for his T20 international return, removed himself in an attempt to strengthen his side’s ability as a batting unit. He gave Josh Englandis a chance to shine and leave the hammer and tongs at number three, a slot is mastered in Iyer. This season, in the first 10 innings, Iyer batted at three and scored 360 runs at 51.4 and at a brilliant strike rate of 180.90.
Regardless, he takes himself to number four, knowing that he can curse spinners any day. This allowed some stability in the middle order, and PBK maximized the entire capacity from Iglis, who recently won a match against a powerful Mi bowling unit.
In addition, Iyer supported Priyash Arya from Gate-Go. A young man who made a name for himself in the Delhi Premier League T20, Arya needed backing, and that is actually found. Now, PBK is cutting the awards as Arya has scored 424 runs in a crazy SR of 183.54. Yes, Iyer has received a power-pack squad for IPL 2025, but makes Iyer a real captain to use his full resources under great impact.
Shres Iyer: Captain with a Midas Touch
| Captain | Playoff qualification | Weather as captain | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shreyas Iyer | 5 | 6 | 83.3% |
| MS Dhoni | 12 | 16 | 75% |
| Rohit Sharma | 7 | 11 | 63.6% |
| Gautam Gambhir | 5 | 7 | 71.4% |
| Virat Kohli | 4 | 9 | 44.4% |
Shres Iyer – Captain Fantastic
- 2019: Delhi Capital – Qualifier 2
- 2020: Delhi Capital – Final
- 2021: Delhi Capital – Qualifier 2
- 2024: KKR – IPL title winner
- 2025: Punjab Kings -Playoff (Top -2 Finnish)
The number of Shreyas Iyer is truly elite, with an impressive 83.3% playoff qualification rate as captain. He is the first captain to take three different teams in the playoffs in IPL history, something about which many captains can only dream. Can anyone doubt his ability to punch above his weight?
Shreyas Iyer in IPL 2025
| Social class | Run | Turn | Average (AVG) | Strike Rate (S/R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| overall | 514 | 14 | 51.40 | 171.91 |
| At number 3 | 360 | 10 | 51.43 | 180.90 |
| At number 4 | 124 | 3 | 62.00 | 165.33 |
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Cricket is the best IPL 2025 captain and why is Shreyas Iyer’s answer?
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