Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain has finally named Shreyas Iyer as their captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 which is set to start from March 21.Β The announcement was made in an unexpected manner on Sunday night during a live episode of the popular reality TV show, Big Boss. Iyer appeared as a guest on the show alongside his Punjab Kings teammates Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh. Big Boss 18 show's host and popular Bollywood actor Salman Khan announced Shreyas Iyer as PBKS show.
Shreyas Iyer reacts after becoming Punjab Kings captain
After the announcement, PBKS took to social media to share a video of Iyer, expressing his exhilaration on being handed the crucial responsibility.
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"Feeling ecstatic. Thank you so much to the fans, the owners and the coaches of Punjab Kings for trusting me as a captain and believing in me. We know what the team has been through in the past few years, but this time we will put our full efforts to see to it we perform our best level possible and obviously enjoy and cherish the moment together," Iyer said in a video.
Iyer's appointment at PBKS will reunite him with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. Ponting, who was recently appointed as the head coach of PBKS for the next four years, previously served as the head coach of the Delhi Capitals, where he successfully guided Iyer as captain.The 30-year-old star batter is hoping to have a fantastic season with head coach Ponting. Iyer said that he has worked with Ponting in the past and is now looking forward for the ball to get rolling.
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"I think the coaches and the management did a brilliant job at the auction table, they ticket all the boxes. You have got a great combination of senior and junior players. So there will be lot of experience and great moments we would be sharing with each other. Hoping to have a fantastic season with Ricky Ponting being the head coach. I have worked with him in the past. Looking forward to the ball to get rolling," Iyer added.
Iyer is one of only eight captains to have won the IPL, having led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last year. The Punjab Kings, with the strongest purse at the auction, secured Iyer's services for a hefty INR 26.75 crore, outbidding the Delhi Capitals. For a brief moment, Iyer held the title of the most expensive player in IPL history before being surpassed by Rishabh Pant.
This will be Iyer's third franchise in the IPL, having previously played for Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. He took over the captaincy of Delhi Capitals midway through the 2018 season and led them to the playoffs in the following three seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2020.
Beyond IPL success, Iyer recently captained Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He displayed strong form in the tournament, finishing fourth among the leading run-scorers with 345 runs, including a century, at an impressive strike rate of 188.52 and an average exceeding 49.
PBKS full squad for IPL 2025:
Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh (Rs. 18 crore), Shreyas Iyer (Rs. 26.75 crore), Yuzvendra Chahal (Rs. 18 crore), Marcus Stoinis (Rs. 11 crore), Glenn Maxwell (Rs. 4.20 crore), Nehal Wadhera (Rs. 4.20 crore), Harpreet Brar (Rs. 1.50 crore), Vishnu Vinod (Rs. 95 lakh), Vijaykumar Vyshak (Rs. 1.80 crore), Yash Thakur (Rs. 1.60 crore), Marco Jansen (Rs. 7 crore), Josh Inglis (Rs. 2.60 crore), Lockie Ferguson (Rs. 2 crore), Azmatullah Omarzai (Rs. 2.40 crore), Harnoor Pannu (Rs. 30 lakh), Kuldeep Sen (Rs. 80 lakh), Priyansh Arya (Rs. 3.80 crore), Aaron Hardie (Rs. 1.25 crore), Musheer Khan (Rs. 30 lakh), Suryansh Shedge (Rs. 30 lakh), Xavier Bartlett (Rs. 80 lakh), Pyla Avinash (Rs. 30 lakh), Pravin Dubey (Rs. 30 lakh).