Shreyas Iyer sets unique captaincy record as Punjab Kings end 11-year playoff drought

Shreyas Iyer sets unique captaincy record as PBKS qualify for playoffs. (Photo: IPL)

Last year, Shreyas Iyer made history by being the first captain to win an IPL championship for the Kolkata Knight Riders in a decade and the eighth overall. Iyer, 30, had a point to prove when KKR decided not to keep him for the 2025 IPL, and he did so in spectacular fashion at this year's tournament.

With their eighth victory on Sunday and a spot in the playoffs later that day, the Iyer-led Punjab Kings have had a great IPL season thus far. Although this is the first time PBKS have made it to the playoffs in eleven years, Iyer's record makes this accomplishment much more noteworthy.

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Iyer is noteworthy for becoming the first captain to captain three different teams in the IPL playoffs. He has guided the Delhi Capitals to the playoffs in 2019 and 2020, including their lone IPL final appearance in 2020, before joining KKR.

At the Delhi Capitals, Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting had a successful collaboration, and it has continued to pay off for the Kings in the 2025 Indian Premier League. The right-handed batter was bought for Rs 26.75 crore at the mega auctions in Jeddah earlier this year, making him the second-highest paid player in IPL history.

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Iyer is the team's second-highest run scorer and has been leading the squad from the front in addition to his valiant captaincy. Iyer has scored 435 runs at an average of 48.33 and a strike rate of 174.69 in 12 games this IPL season.

Iyer's greatest score of the year came in the opening game for Punjab Kings, where he hit a 97-run knock against Gujarat Titans to help his team reach 243/5 in 20 overs and win by 11 runs. Punjab Kings’ next league game is against Delhi Capitals on May 24 in Jaipur.