Punjab Kings Captain, Shreyas Iyer (Image Credit: IPL)
Shreyas Iyer is on the verge of achieving a major milestone in the Indian Premier League as he prepares to captain Punjab Kings in his 100th ISL match as captain during the encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala.Iyer’s journey as captain has spanned three clubs in the Indian Premier League: Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. So far, he has led Delhi in 41 matches, while he has led KKR and PBKS in 29 matches each.Heading into his 100th match, Iyer has recorded 56 victories as captain, including two Super Over victories, while suffering 40 defeats. Three matches ended without a result. His impressive win percentage of 58.3 puts him level with Dhoni for the joint best win percentage among the IPL leaders across matches completed.
Over the years, Ayer has established himself as one of the competition’s most successful leaders.
He remains the only captain in IPL history to have led three different franchises to the IPL final.
He first led Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final against Mumbai Indians before taking KKR to a title-winning campaign in 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Last season, he also led Punjab Kings to the final against RCB.Once out for the draw, Iyer will become the fifth captain in the history of the Indian Premier League to complete 100 matches as captain, joining an elite list that includes MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.
Aside from his leadership credentials, Iyer continued to deliver with the bat. Recently, he became the second captain in the history of the Indian Premier League after KL Rahul to score more than 1000 runs in the IPL as captain of two different franchises, achieving the feat for both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. The historic match reaches a crucial stage of Punjab’s season. After an impressive unbeaten run earlier in the tournament, PBKS slid into a tough stretch with five straight defeats, putting their playoff hopes under serious pressure.Iyer made 396 runs in 11 matches at an average of 49.50 and a strike rate of 164.31, with five fifties, but his second-half performances were largely poor during these five losses. Barring a fine of 59 against DC, Iyer scored only 4, 5, 19 and 30 in the rest of his matches. Through these five losses, he has scored just 117 runs at an average of 23.40.
Will Shreyas Iyer lead Punjab Kings to the playoffs this season?
As Punjab aim to revive their campaign, Iyer’s 100th match as ISL captain could become a personal milestone and a defining moment in the PBKS’ playoff battle.