Shreyas Iyer was one of the standout players from the recently-concluded 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Iyer was remarkable with the bat, finishing the campaign with 604 runs from 17 innings - the highest from the Punjab Kings (PBKS) camp. And in terms of captaincy, Iyer attracted even more admirers that his name is being projected as the next white ball leader.
Nehal Wadhera, who made an impression playing under Iyer's captaincy, on expected lines spoke highly of the PBKS captain. However, in doing so he highlighted Iyer's off the field behaviour, which Wadhera feels makes him a "perfect example of a good leader".
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"You all have seen Shreyas' captaincy, but I think an actual captain is a leader, and his captaincy and leadership can be seen from off the field and the way he carries himself off the field. We have seen him closely in hotels, and we spend a lot of time together, and you also know the statements which he gives. I think he gave a statement which I liked a lot and I have seen that he applies it. The statement he gave was, 'You don't have to make yourself so much available for people that they start taking you for granted'.
"I think the statement that he is giving and applying it in real life off the field, I think his confidence goes up just like that. The way he behaves off the field, his attitude is reflected in the game and I think a good captain, his attitude, the way he speaks, the way he handles people, if he is good, he is automatically a good leader and I think he is a perfect example for that,” Wadhera told Hindustan Times in an interview.
Iyer led PBKS to a runners-up finish in IPL 2025, going down against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final. However, the feat saw Iyer become the only captain in IPL history to guide three franchises to the finals. Meanwhile, PBKS also made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Despite the stellar show, Iyer failed to make the cut for the Test squad for England series and he is not part of the T20I set-up either. In ODIs, Iyer, however, appears to have solved India's long-running No. 4 conundrum as witnessed in the Champions Trophy 2025, which the Men In Blue won without conceding a match. In fact, Iyer finished as India's MVP.
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