Picture Credit: X/IPL
With the 18 th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 underway in Indian subcontinent, three teams have already confirmed their playoffs berth. However, three teams are fighting for one last spot, which will be confirmed in the next few days. Among the three already qualified, Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) is also one of them.
On Sunday, May 18, an eight-wicket win for PBKS over RR in Jaipur, followed by Gujarat Titans’ (GT) comprehensive 10-wicket win over DC, sealed a place for them along with GT and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Helping PBKS march into the playoffs, Iyer became the first captain to take three different IPL franchises into the playoffs.
Sunil Gavaskar lauds Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy stint with PBKS
PBKS skipper, who played a pivotal role in PBKS’ stint thus far, Gavaskar revealed that he did not get any credit for guiding KKR to the title triumph last season. Moreover, Gavaskar took an indirect dig at Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir for taking away all the credit from Iyer after the team’s third title win. "He didn't get the credit for the IPL victory last season. All the plaudits were given to someone else. It's the captain, who plays a major role in what's happening in the middle and not someone sitting in the dugout," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"See, this year he's getting fair credit. No one is giving all the credit to Ricky Ponting," Gavaskar added, hailing the Indian batter for his fare share in PBKS’ performance in IPL 2025. Speaking of Iyer’s performance in IPL 2025, the Indian middle-order batter has amassed 435 runs from 12 innings at an average of 48.33 and a strike rate of 174.69.
Iyer will continue to lead the side as they still have two more league stage matches left in the tournament and will hope for his side to finish at the top of the table and then lift the title for the first time with the Punjab Kings. They will next return to action on Saturday, May 24 when they take on Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
