Team India star Shreyas Iyer became the second-most expensive player in Indian Premier League auction history, fetching INR 26.75 crore from the Punjab Kings. At the time of his bidding, the record stood at INR 24.75 crore (Mitchell Starc); however, Rishabh Pant soon surpassed Iyer in the same set, earning a mammoth INR 27 crore from Lucknow Super Giants.
Iyer, thus, joins a franchise that is yet to lift an IPL title; interestingly, the India star captained Kolkata Knight Riders to title finish in the 2024 season. Former India batter Robin Uthappa has expressed hope that Iyer repeats a similar performance with the Kings, and made a rather bold prediction on the batter, should he succeed in bringing silverware for the struggling franchise.
“He is going from a championship-winning team to a team that has not won any titles. That will be a nice challenge for him. If he can go there and win a title, I have no doubt that he is going to be the next Indian captain,” Uthappa said on JioCinema.
Iyer is currently not a part of the Indian T20I setup, losing his place in the side last year. In fact, the batter is only an ODI regular, which makes Uthappa's claim all the more significant. Iyer returned to contention for the Team India squad in August after he was controversially removed from BCCI's central contracts list earlier this year.
Iyer reunites with Ponting
With his move to Punjab Kings, Iyer will reunite with Ricky Ponting, who was his head coach during the former's time at Delhi Capitals. Iyer was DC's captain when the side reached the final of the 2021 season, where it faced a defeat to Mumbai Indians.
{{/usCountry}}With his move to Punjab Kings, Iyer will reunite with Ricky Ponting, who was his head coach during the former's time at Delhi Capitals. Iyer was DC's captain when the side reached the final of the 2021 season, where it faced a defeat to Mumbai Indians.
{{/usCountry}}While Ponting didn't divulge details about PBKS' potential captain for the 2025 season, it is expected that Iyer will lead the side, thanks to his impressive credentials in the role. In addition to leading the KKR to the title last season, Iyer was also important with the bat; he played at a strike rate of over 146 throughout the season.