Follow UsShreyas Iyer has started his stint as the Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain with a bang. Coming in at three, he smashed an unbeaten 97 off just 42 deliveries, which included five fours and nine sixes. This is his highest score in the Indian Premier League (IPL), surpassing 96 against Gujarat Lions in 2017 when he was with Delhi Capitals (DC).
97* vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2025*
96 vs GL, Kanpur, 2016
93* vs KKR, Delhi, 2018
88* vs KKR, Sharjah, 2020
85 vs RR, Mumbai, 2022
He had a chance of becoming the second-fastest centurion by an Indian player, but Shashank Singh took the strike for the final seven balls, smashing 24 runs, denying Iyer a chance of getting to his maiden IPL ton.
Nevertheless, Iyer now has the third-highest score on team captaincy debut in the IPL.
119 - Sanju Samson vs PBKS, Mumbai, 2021
99* - Mayank Agarwal vs DC, Ahmedabad, 2021
97* - Shreyas Iyer vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2025
93* - Shreyas Iyer vs KKR, Delhi, 2018
88 - Faf du Plessis vs PBKS, Navi Mumbai, 2022
He is also the third player to score a fifty on PBKS captaincy debut.
99* - Mayank Agarwal vs DC, Ahmedabad, 2021
97* - Shreyas Iyer vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2025*
55 - Murali Vijay vs GL, Rajkot, 2016
Shashank (44* off 16) and Iyer put on 81 off just 28 deliveries for the sixth wicket that allowed PBKS to register the highest IPL total at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
243/5 - PBKS vs GT, 2025*
233/3 - GT vs MI, 2023
231/3 - GT vs CSK, 2024
227/2 - GT vs LSG, 2023
The 30-year-old has not been in contention for India in the T20I scheme of things. Moreover, he is also not on BCCI's central contract list. Performances like these could very well enable him to make a case for himself. Iyer is the second-most expensive player in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with PBKS securing his services for INR 26.75 crore in the 2025 auction. He led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title in 2024.