Punjab Kings (PBKS) has named Shreyas Iyer as their new captain for IPL 2025, with the announcement made in the latest episode of Bigg Boss on Sunday, January 12. The right-handed batter was revealed as the skipper in the company of teammates Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh.
The Mumbai-born cricketer became one of the priciest players in the auction for the 2025 season, securing ₹26.75 crore from the franchise after a fierce bidding battle. Despite leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third title victory, the 30-year-old was not retained by KKR for the 2025 season.
Commenting on the franchise’s decision to appoint him as captain, Shreyas Iyer shared his thoughts (via Cricbuzz):
“I am honored that the team has reposed its faith in me. I am looking forward to working again with Coach Ponting. The team looks strong, with a great mix of potential and proven performers. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title.”
https://x.com/punjabkingsipl/status/1878490849614376977?s=46
“He’s an excellent player”- Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer
With former Australian legend Ricky Ponting rejoining the star cricketer as PBKS’ head coach, he expressed his admiration for Iyer’s addition to the team. Speaking to Star Sports following the auction, Ponting remarked:
“I wanted to work with Shreyas. I’ve worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He’ll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I’m pretty sure we probably will. And obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab.”
Punjab Kings ended IPL 2024 in ninth position, with five victories from 14 matches. Their top achievement came in 2014, when they reached the final under the captaincy of George Bailey. Since then, they have not managed to qualify for the playoffs.
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