Hyderabad: The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS) announced Shreyas Iyer as their captain. The right-handed batter roped in by the franchise at the auctions in December 2024 will rejoin hands with Head Coach Ricky Ponting to lead the franchise.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan announced Shreyas Iyer's appointment as Punjab Kings skipper for the IPL 2025 during a reality show, Big Boss, where Iyer was present as a guest alongside Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh.
𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺! 💫#CaptainShreyas #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/jCYtx4bbVH
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) January 12, 2025
The 30-year-old expressed gratitude to the Punjab Kings management. "I am honoured that the team has reposed its faith in me. I am looking forward to working again with Coach Ponting. The team looks strong, with a great mix of potential and proven performers. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title"
Sadde CEO with the Man of the Moment! 🤩#CaptainShreyas #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/XaGdkH09DY
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) January 12, 2025
Head Coach Ricky said, "Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver. I have enjoyed my time with Iyer in the past in IPL, and I look forward to working with him again. With his leadership and the talent in the squad, I am excited about the seasons ahead."
𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐬 𝐈𝐲𝐞𝐫 ➡️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞! ©️♥️#CaptainShreyas #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/EFxxWYc44b
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) January 12, 2025
Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon added, "We had identified Shreyas as our captain and were delighted with the auction result. He has already proven himself to master the format, and his vision for the team aligns perfectly with our goals. With him and Ponting joining hands again, we are confident our team has a solid leadership group to guide us to our first title."
In 2024, Iyer had a banner year. He was part of the Mumbai team that won the Ranji and Irani trophy. He captained Kolkata Knight Riders in their victorious 2024 IPL campaign. Under his leadership, Mumbai won their second Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.
Punjab Kings squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey.