Shreyas Iyer opened up about his successful stint as a leader at Kolkata Knight Riders and revealed the reason behind his surprise exit from the team in a recent podcast with GQ.
The PBKS skipper has built a reputation as the only captain to lead three different franchises to the IPL final and even won one with KKR. In a league where MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have defined captaincy, Shreyas has carved out his own legacy as one of the IPL’s most trusted leaders. Known for his calm and composed approach, Iyer has also had his share of challenges, most notably at KKR, where he was not retained ahead of IPL 2025..
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Shreyas opens up about his time and challenges at KKR
“I wasn’t fully in the mix at KKR… I was part of the conversation, but I wasn’t fully in the mix. I’ve had to work my way up to get to this position,” Iyer revealed.
In contrast, he spoke highly of the backing he received at Punjab Kings, crediting the franchise for trusting him fully and allowing him to lead with freedom.
“I offer a lot as a captain and player. Punjab gave me all the support I needed from coaches, management, and players. I was able to contribute in meetings and make decisions on and off the field,” he told GQ.
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Shreyas Iyer Delivers Record-Breaking Season After ₹26.8 Cr Move to PBKS
PBKS bought Shreyas Iyer for a record ₹26.8 crore at the mega auction, and he repaid that trust by guiding the team to the final against RCB. Along the way, he broke multiple records, including defending the lowest total ever in IPL history fittingly, against his former team, KKR.
With the bat, Shreyas had his best-ever IPL season, scoring 603 runs at a fiery strike rate of 175.80. He became one of the few captains to notch up 50 IPL wins, joining an elite group. His unbeaten 87 off 41 balls in Qualifier 2 againstthe Mumbai Indians was one of the defining knocks of the tournament, as PBKS pulled off a record playoff chase. With a win rate of 56% as captain and ever-improving batting numbers, Iyer has firmly established himself as one of the most complete leaders in the IPL.
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