IPL 2025: Golden boy Shreyas Iyer leads Punjab Kings' strong start to season

It might be a good idea for Shreyas Iyer to buy a lottery ticket as everything he touches right now turns to gold. Not that he needs the extra cash, having emerged as the second most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League during the player auction late last year. But such has been the dramatic change in his fortunes over the past season, Iyer would want to accumulate as much as possible during this purple patch. Maybe even take his new franchise Punjab Kings all the way to the IPL play-offs and beyond. Things were far from rosy one season ago though. Following a hugely successful 2023 home ODI World Cup , where Iyer became a pillar of the middle order and finished with more than 500 runs, the 30-year-old suddenly found himself out in the wilderness. Following a breakdown in communication with the Indian cricket board about availability for domestic matches, Iyer – the future superstar and possible captain of India – lost his central contract. He was forced to return to domestic cricket and work his way back into the good books of the decision makers. Iyer was on a mission to prove his detractors wrong; there is a belief he was unfairly treated and the management simply wanted to set an example. He chose to let his cricket do the talking. The first opportunity came in last year's IPL, where he guided a finely tuned Kolkata Knight Riders to the title. Unfortunately, like other instances in his career, the credit went elsewhere. Coach Gautam Gambhir was seen as the main reason behind Kolkata's success, and he soon graduated to coaching the India team . If that wasn't bad enough, Iyer was then released by the Kolkata franchise despite being a title winning captain. He took that in his stride as well, returning to domestic cricket late last year and guiding his state team Mumbai to the national T20 title. Earlier this year came the crowning moment of his chaotic career as Iyer emerged as the best India batsman during a victorious campaign in the Champions Trophy in Dubai . Iyer had won during the player auction as well, attracting a bid of over $3 million from Punjab Kings . The underperforming franchise had, after a long time, landed a trump card. The middle order batter teamed up with Ricky Ponting at the franchise; the Australia great was the coach at Delhi Capitals when Iyer was the captain there and had guided them to a final. He was let go from Delhi as well, making way for Rishabh Pant. Ponting expressed his admiration for Iyer and said he was “desperate” to work with him again. With a dream partnership now established at Punjab, the results have started to fall in place. The north Indian franchise have won their opening two matches of the 2025 season. They blasted 243 in their first game against Gujarat and chased down 172 easily in Lucknow. In both games, Iyer was the engine behind their charge, smashing 97 not out and 52 not out. The right-handed batter had a perceived weakness against the short ball, which he has worked overtime to correct. He now looks forward to fast bowlers banging the ball in short, as it has allowed him to launch into some of the biggest hits by an Indian batsman in recent memory. It is a different Iyer – and Punjab – this season. They have invested heavily in local batsmen, and all seem to be in great form. So much so that Australia's Champions Trophy star Josh Inglis has been benched. The season is still young and things can change very quickly. But right now Iyer is the golden boy of Indian cricket, and possibly their most reliable white-ball batter at the moment at local and international level. Also, Punjab do look like a team on a mission, especially after Pant had, during a pre-season interview, expressed his fear of landing at Punjab during the auction – owing to the franchise's unflattering player management record. If Punjab do make it to the play-offs, the credit will undoubtedly go to Iyer. There is no stopping destiny this time.

IPL 2025: Golden boy Shreyas Iyer leads Punjab Kings' strong start to season

Captain hit sparkling unbeaten fifties in opening wins