Punjab Kings picked up their campaign in TATA IPL 2026 from where they left off in last season’s final, as Shreyas Iyer and Co. look to go one better. Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina hailed Shreyas Iyer’s leadership, assessing where he stands among the league’s best Captains and whether the tournament will have a new champion or a returning one.

Suresh Raina heaped praise on Shreyas Iyer’s leadership:

“Wherever he has gone, whichever franchise he has played for, he has brought a different brand of cricket. He has been fearless as a Captain and has led from the front. Be it Delhi, KKR or even Punjab, they played the final last year after a gap of 11 years. You can see why he is a good Captain, because the communication off the field seems to be brilliant. He backs his players, and when you see him walk around with that swag, his body language reminds me of Azhar bhai. When Mohammad Azharuddin used to be the Captain, the players around him had a different level of confidence. Everyone has a different style of leadership, and with Shreyas, you get both, composure and bold decision-making. When Punjab bat, you see them going all-out attack, and similarly with the bowling as well.”

On whether TATA IPL 2026 will have a returning champion:

“I feel RCB can defend their title. The way they are playing, and how their bowling unit is operating, with Captain Rajat Patidar leading from the front, has been impressive. It is not just about scoring big 240-250 totals; everyone in the batting unit understands their roles. After them, I feel Rajasthan Royals are doing a few things right, 18 years after their first title. You start with their fearless opener, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Jofra Archer with the new ball, Ravi Bishnoi in the middle, and Riyan Parag leading the side. It is a young team, but they are playing a very watchable brand of cricket. Then there are also the Gujarat Titans, who are peaking at the right time. Rashid Khan has had a couple of good games, and Shubman Gill is playing with a higher strike-rate. But I feel RCB has the biggest chance.”

Irfan Pathan spoke about Shreyas Iyer’s leadership and where does he stand among the greats:

“On that list of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, I feel Shreyas Iyer has to be right up there among the best Captains. It is not easy to take three different franchises to the finals. Each franchise is different, their culture, setup and their mindset is completely different. To adjust to those things and then lead the way forward is not easy. No one has ever done it. MS Dhoni won all five trophies with CSK, and it is not that he has not played for any other franchise. Similarly, Rohit Sharma has won all his trophies as Captain with MI, and Gautam Gambhir did it for KKR in those two seasons. But here you have Shreyas Iyer, who has taken three franchises to the final and won it with KKR. One more trophy; if he wins it with Punjab, he will surpass everyone.”

On whether TATA IPL 2026 will witness a new champion:

“It can, Punjab has a very good chance. They are playing impactful cricket and have a great combination. If Cooper Connolly starts bowling, which I feel is one piece missing in their bowling puzzle, because they are currently playing with just one spinner, they will be good to go. They have a fantastic Captain, their two openers are in tremendous form, and overall, the bowling unit also has quality. Delhi also, I feel, is a good team. Things seem to be 50-50 for them right now, but I feel that match against Gujarat Titans will sting. It was a close game, and if they had won that, they would have been three in three at that point. Lucknow has a lot of work to do, but my eyes will be on Delhi and Punjab. If I had to pick one, it would be Punjab.”