Shreyas Iyer could not start better for his captaincy tenure with Punjab Kings.
On Tuesday, he presented his stand to assure one to win an eight -wicket victory against the Lucknow super veterans, marking the second win on the Trott to start the IPL 2025. Shreyas’s team now ranks second in the points table behind RCB on NRR.
Shreyas has also extended his rich vein as batting-that Champions Trophy was India’s top scorer in 2025 wins with back-to-back fifty. The 30 -year -old has successfully adapted his clear open stance from the 50 -over format in the IPL, scoring 149 runs in two matches for Kings.
Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Vaidhera against Lucknow Super Veterans. , Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena/The Hindu
Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Vaidhera against Lucknow Super Veterans. , Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena/The Hindu
This time what is for Shreyas is his 206.94 strike rate, which is a significant jump from his IPL career strike rate of 127.47 before the season. The key to this boom is worth noting in their six-heatting capacity-they have already cleaned the ropes 13 times, well on the track to cross their last season-high 21 sixes in 2015.
However, it remains to be seen whether this improvement is sustainable. The first two matches have been played on batting -friendly tracks (Ahmedabad and Lucknow), and his role within the Punjab setup may give him more freedom. Whether it marks a long -term change or a warm beginning against the favorable matchup will become clear as the progress of the season.
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Another notable innings is how his open stance has reduced his vulnerability on a short ball. In IPL 2025, his false-shot percentage against the balls smaller than pacers is just 11.1%, the lowest it is in an IPL season. He is also striking at 262.50 against the length (21 runs from eight balls), which suggests with the intention of removing its historical weakness.
Shreyas’s confidence with the bat has also been reflected under his leadership. Against the Titans of Gujarat in the season opener, he presented his stand for a win of 11 runs, while against LSG, he used his bowling resources surprisingly. He rotated four separate bowlers in the powerplay, three of whom gave wickets. Against an aggressive Nicholas Gorn, he supported Yuzvendra Chahal’s leg-spin, a risky step given Goran’s proficiency against that type of bowling. In T20s, Gorn averages 45.40 (the best vs any bowling type) against the legis, striking at 161.68. Gambling paid as Chahal, relying on the googly going away from the batsman, rejecting the West Indian.
The qualities of his leadership have praised the fast-bouling coach James Hopes of Punjab Kings, who first worked with Shreyas at Delhi Capital. Before the LSG match, Hops said, “He keeps everything calm on the field. The bowlers were thinking about it after the first game – how clear he is with communication, how much pressure he is. We are very lucky to keep him as captain.”
Shreyas remains the only captain who led two separate teams in an IPL final in 2020 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. Punjab Kings, a franchise with just one final appearance in 16 sessions, will expect that he can also change his fate.
