Follow Us“We have lost the battle, but not the war.”
Few quotes in IPL history hit as hard as Shreyas Iyer’s. After Punjab Kings were skittled for 101 in 14.1 overs in Qualifier 1 against RCB on May 29 (Thursday), that statement wasn’t just bold—it required ‘b**ls of steel.’
With any other captain, you might say, “Tone down the cockiness,” but with Iyer, a part of you thinks, “That’s the belief talking.”
That’s Iyer in a nutshell.
When asked how his team bounced back from such a dismal performance, Iyer’s response was simple: “Just throw your worst display in the bin.” That’s the brand of cricket Punjab Kings have played all season—fighting fire with fire, words with words, and setbacks with comebacks.
Heading into the clash against Mumbai Indians on June 1 (Sunday), the internet was abuzz with predictions of a sixth MI title, certain that PBKS would be steamrolled. But Iyer doesn’t read trends—he sets them!
Mumbai Indians have never lost when they have scored 200? Who cares!
How do you tackle, Jasprit Bumrah, the best bowler in the world? Who, that?
They have the clutch player in Hardik Pandya? Okay, so?
So what if your team is 55/2, and three overs of Bumrah were left in a 204-run chase? It is moments like these when Iyer, the batter, leads from the front and puts on a clutch performance that makes you go, ‘Why isn’t he playing for India in T20s in the first place?’.
Most often than not, the answer in the past was intent.
But in the present, Iyer shifted gears, transforming his batting into something electrifying. He’s amassed 603 runs this season, averaging an impressive 54.81 with a strike rate of—brace yourself—175.80. Yes, you read that right.
One of the most important knocks of that 600-run tally came on the night that mattered most, against a bowling unit that had all the tools to demolish the kingdom he and Ricky Ponting had painstakingly built over the past three months. Two balls into his stay at the crease, it was clear which Iyer would turn up, with a stylish boundary.
Over the next three overs, he waited, soaked up the pressure, and scanned for gaps and boundaries. Slowly yet steadily, he cycled through the motions before targeting one of MI’s weakest links that night—Reece Topley.
Topley is world-class, but he isn’t known for his middle-over prowess, so when someone of Iyer’s form and stature takes you down, there’s no looking back. Three sixes later, Punjab weren’t just in the game—they had caught MI by the scruff of their neck. He was playing percentage cricket, and how.
Whenever he sensed there was an opening, he didn’t score one boundary, he made one into two. But what made a huge difference for Iyer, on the night, was how he handled the yorkers, turning those wide ones into match-changing boundaries. It’s possibly one of the most underrated parts of his game on that big night, something not many would highlight.
Twice in two balls, once against Trent Boult and the other against Bumrah, Iyer pierced that gap between the wicketkeeper and the short third-man to find boundaries. It is these two deliveries that perfectly sum up Iyer this season, he is no longer content with the singles or doubles; he seeks boundaries even when it is tough.
The turning point came when Iyer sensed weakness in Ashwani Kumar’s bowling. Under pressure, Kumar cracked, and Iyer capitalised, smashing 26 runs in a single over, including three massive sixes. Before anyone could blink, Punjab had chased 204 in 19 overs. Let that sink in—Iyer didn’t just talk the talk; he walked it, with a 41-ball 87.
His numbers tell a story of dominance this season:
– A strike rate of 175.80, the highest ever for an IPL captain in a season (min. 500 runs).
– 39 sixes, the most by a captain in a single IPL campaign.
– The only captain to lead three different teams to IPL finals: Delhi Capitals (2020), Kolkata Knight Riders (2024), and Punjab Kings (2025).
These aren’t just stats—they’re a legacy.
Since last year, Iyer has won every major trophy he’s chased: the IPL 2024 with KKR, ending a decade-long drought; the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Mumbai; and the Champions Trophy with India, breaking another long title wait.
Chasing 204 was one thing, but staying calm under that pressure? That’s Iyer’s superpower. As he put it, it’s all about “breathing.”
Yet, the war isn’t over. Facing RCB in the final, a team as driven as Punjab, Iyer knows a loss could overshadow his achievements.
If Ricky Ponting, channelling his inner Ted Lasso, asked Iyer, “Would you rather be a lion or a panda?” Iyer would flash a grin, do his best Jamie Tartt impression, and say, “Shreyas Iyer.”
Punjab needs that brash, defiant, win-at-all-costs Iyer to end their 18-year title drought and cement his legend.