New Delhi, April 18: Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the captain of Punjab Kings for IPL 2025. Since his leadership, the team has shown a remarkable transformation. After reaching the finals last season, Punjab Kings is currently in exceptional form and remains unbeaten in IPL 2026. Iyer stated that the team’s only goal is to win the championship.
In a discussion on GeoStar’s ‘Believe’, Iyer shared insights about earning the nickname ‘Sarpanch’, missing a century against GT, and defending 111 runs against KKR.
Regarding the ‘Sarpanch’ nickname, he said, “I really like it. When I started my journey with Punjab Kings, I didn’t know how the ‘Sarpanch’ tag came about or what it meant. Later, when I asked some teammates, they explained that it signifies the head of a family, group, or district. This gave me clarity and marked the beginning of my journey.”
On the team’s objective for IPL 2026, Iyer emphasized, “Our mission is to lift the trophy. I believe that the more you stay in the present, the more control you have over the moment at hand. You just need to keep moving forward with full momentum. There’s no need to think too far ahead or dwell on the past. I remind my teammates that when we are on the field, we play for ourselves, not against the opposition. We aim to improve every day and ensure we give our best performance.”
Reflecting on missing a century in his debut game against GT, he remarked, “Honestly, at that moment, I told Shashank not to overthink since there were 10 balls left. I felt I would at least play one of those balls. I told him, ‘You can play freely, don’t overthink.’ Even in the last over, I reassured him that it was okay to accept it and not worry about the century. I thought I would manage to play at least one ball. But he played the entire over, and I was happy that we scored 240 runs. Scoring that in the first match of the season sets the rhythm.”
On the advice from Arshdeep Singh to bring in Vijaykumar Vaishak as an impact player, Iyer stated, “When you’re on the ground, everyone is involved in the game, and every input matters in that situation. When bowlers come and say they can implement a specific plan, it’s essential to support them because their thinking can be strong too. There are times when they might not have ideas and ask what to do, and that’s when I step in and provide input. It’s a collaborative effort; I don’t always set the terms. In team meetings, players come with strong ideas, and you need to value their input. We discussed bowling wide yorkers to Rutherford because he was going crazy wherever we pitched. The plan worked, and Vaishak became the hero of that match.”
Discussing the defense of 111 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders, Iyer mentioned, “As soon as we took two wickets, they formed a strong partnership. I wanted them to feel a bit of pressure. I tried to make them feel that we were right on their tails. The idea was to push them into doing something extra or playing a shot that wasn’t necessary, and it worked well. When a new batsman came in, I made the field more aggressive, and they tried to improve their shot, just like Ramandeep did with his sweep earlier. The bowlers were also precise with their line and length, and their mindset was aggressive. I keep telling them that until the last ball is bowled or the last run is scored, nothing is over. You never give up; you fight till the end. We’ve seen many matches where continuous wickets put pressure on the opposing team.”
Notably, in that match, KKR had scored 62 runs for 2 wickets while chasing a target of 112. However, they failed to achieve the target, collapsing to 95 runs in 15.1 overs.
In IPL 2026, Punjab Kings currently leads the table with 9 points from 4 wins in 5 matches.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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