Shreyas Iyer's Leadership Sparks Punjab Kings' IPL Title Hopes

Iyer's Determination Shines in IPL 2025

New Delhi, June 2: Ricky Ponting, the head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS), has expressed confidence in the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, who is eager to lead the team to its inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) championship, as reported by a sports website.

Iyer's outstanding performance, scoring an unbeaten 87 off just 41 deliveries, propelled PBKS to successfully chase down 204 runs against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025. This remarkable achievement marks the highest run chase in a playoff match in IPL history, securing a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Tuesday.

Despite being left out of India's 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series in England starting June 20, Iyer has responded positively by leading his team to the IPL final after a decade. A victory would grant PBKS their first IPL title.

Ponting addressed Iyer's exclusion from the Test squad, noting that the talented middle-order batsman has quickly moved past the disappointment.

“I was genuinely disappointed... but he has handled it well and moved forward. He possesses a strong desire to excel every time he plays for us and aims to win matches while evolving into the best captain he can be,” Ponting remarked.

Iyer was instrumental in India's journey to the finals of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and was the top run-scorer for the team during the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

His recent performances in first-class cricket have been impressive, and Ponting believes that Iyer's form should have warranted a spot in the Test squad.

“Other players selected for the Test squad have performed well in first-class cricket and IPL, and Shreyas has matched their performance,” Ponting stated.

“I was surprised he wasn’t picked, as I thought he would be. This might make him even more driven during these crucial playoff matches.”

Ponting and Iyer previously collaborated at Delhi Capitals, where Iyer scored 243 runs in five innings during the successful Champions Trophy campaign. This IPL season, he has amassed 603 runs in 16 innings, placing him sixth on the leading run-scorer list.

“I enjoy collaborating with him; we have a great working relationship, and it’s been rewarding to rekindle that this year,” Ponting added.