Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer (Image credit: IPL)
Shreyas Iyer is on the brink of a major IPL milestone as he prepares to captain Punjab Kings in his 100th Indian Premier League match as captain during their clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dharamsala.Iyer’s captaincy spans across three IPL franchises: Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. So far, he has captained Delhi in 41 matches, while leading KKR and PBKS in 29 matches.Heading into his historic 100th game, Iyer recorded 56 victories as captain, including two Super Over victories, while suffering 40 defeats. Three matches ended without a result. His impressive win ratio of 58.3 makes him equal with Dhoni for the joint-highest win ratio among IPL captains across all matches. Over the years, Iyer has established himself as one of the competition’s most successful leaders. He is the only captain in IPL history to lead three different franchises to the IPL final.He first led Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final against Mumbai Indians before leading KKR to a title-winning campaign in 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Last season, he also guided Punjab Kings to the final against RCB.Once he steps out for the toss, Iyer will become only the fifth captain in IPL history to complete 100 matches as captain, joining MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.Apart from his leadership credentials, Iyer has continued to bat. Recently, he became only the second captain in IPL history after KL Rahul to score more than 1,000 IPL runs as captain for two different franchises, achieving the feat for both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. The milestone fixture has reached an important stage in Punjab’s season. After an impressive undefeated run earlier in the tournament, PBKS have slipped into a difficult run with five consecutive defeats, putting their playoff hopes under serious pressure.Iyer has scored 396 runs in 11 matches at an average of 49.50 and a strike rate of 164.31 with five half-centuries, but his second-half performance during those five losses has been quite poor. Apart from a perfect 59 against DC, Ayer has scored just 4, 5, 19 and a sluggish 30 in his remaining matches. In those five losses, he has managed just 117 runs at an average of 23.40.
Will Shreyas Iyer lead the Punjab Kings to the playoffs this season?
As Punjab look to revive their campaign, Iyer’s 100th match as IPL captain could turn out to be a personal milestone and a pivotal moment in PBKS’ playoff battle.
