Shreyas Iyer has once again proven why he remains one of the most impactful leaders in the IPL, continuing his impressive captaincy run with Punjab Kings in the 2026 season. After guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to a title in 2024, his release ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction raised eyebrows. However, Punjab Kings wasted no time in securing his services, signing him for a massive ₹26.75 crore after a fierce bidding war.
Iyer justified that investment almost immediately. In IPL 2025, he scored 604 runs in 17 matches and led Punjab to their first final in over a decade. Though the title eluded him, his leadership credentials were firmly established. Fast forward to IPL 2026, and Iyer has taken things up a notch, leading PBKS to six wins in their first seven matches and placing them comfortably at the top of the points table with 13 points.
His latest contribution came in a historic run chase against Delhi Capitals, where he anchored the innings with a composed unbeaten 71 off 36 balls. Chasing a daunting 265, Iyer’s calm presence once again made the difference, reinforcing his reputation as one of the finest finishers in pressure situations.
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PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting was full of praise for his captain, revealing the thought process behind going all out for Iyer in the auction. “Shreyas is a great person, and that’s the reason I went as hard as I did in the auction,” Ricky Ponting said.
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“I knew he would be a great leader. When we set out to rebuild this team, I trusted him completely. If he’s there at the end of a chase, we know we’re not going to lose too many games. Even tonight, I told him midway through the innings, ‘If you’re there at the end, we win.’ And he did exactly that.”
While the batting heroics grabbed headlines, Ponting also acknowledged areas of concern. Despite pulling off the highest run chase in IPL history, he admitted that the bowling and fielding units need improvement.
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“It’s satisfying to win like that, but conceding that many runs isn’t ideal. We’ve got work to do with the ball and in the field, and we’ll look to fix that quickly,” he added.
With Iyer leading from the front, Punjab Kings look like serious contenders, blending strong leadership with fearless cricket in IPL 2026.
