Follow UsSarpanch Saab has been associated with Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer as a moniker ever since the start of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It got more prominence after the team reached the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, and now they have reached the finals with Iyer playing one of the brilliant knocks.
However, no one really knows how Iyer came to get that nickname, as it has been associated with India’s hockey captain and two-time Olympic Bronze medallist, Harmanpreet Singh.
Revealing where this name came from, Iyer, in a chat with team co-owner and Bollywood actor Priety Zinta, said, “This tag of sarpanch saab, no clue how I got this name. I think it came from the management. They gave me this tag…and it’s just tagged along.”
“Whenever I go out in Punjab, when I go out in Chandigarh and out of the hotel, they say Sarpanch Saab ek picture le lo..so those incidents have happened,” added the 31-year-old.
Narrating an incident of how he was called Sarpanch Saab and offered that a street would be named after him if he could win the league for the Kings.
“When we were coming back from the ground in our Innova. They saw me sitting in the car at a signal, so this car with 5 guys came, and they said that Sarpanch Saab iss saal jeeta dena. Yaha ka ek rastaa aapke naam kar denge,” chuckled Iyer.
Sarpanch in North India is the village head and a captain could be called that given that he heads a team.