Punjab Kings captain: Shreyas Iyer to lead Preity Zinta-owned franchise in IPL 2025

Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday announced India batter Shreyas Iyer as their captain for the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The franchise secured Iyer’s services at the IPL 2025 mega auction for a record-breaking Rs 26.75 crore. Punjab fended off stiff competition from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in an intense bidding war to sign the star batter.

While Iyer became the most expensive player in IPL auction history for a brief moment, he was later surpassed by Rishabh Pant, who fetched an even higher bid.


"I am honoured that the team has reposed its faith in me. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title," lyer said post the big announcement.


The Punjab Kings, one of the IPL’s most underwhelming teams historically, have reached the playoffs only twice in their 16-year history. The last time they made it to the playoffs was in 2014, when they finished as runners-up. With Iyer at the helm, the franchise hopes to change their fortunes.

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Shreyas Iyer’s leadership experience and success in IPL

Shreyas Iyer heads into the season on the back of a remarkable stint with KKR, where he led the franchise to their third IPL title in 2024 and amassing 351 runs in 14 innings at an impressive average of 39 and a strike rate of 146.86, including two half-centuries.

The 30-year-old’s first experience as an IPL captain came in 2018, when he replaced Gautam Gambhir as Delhi Capitals’ skipper midway through the season. Under his leadership, Delhi reached the playoffs in 2019 after a seven-year gap and made it to their first-ever IPL final in 2020, where they lost to Mumbai Indians.

Despite his success, Iyer was replaced by Rishabh Pant as Delhi’s captain in 2021. He later joined KKR in 2022, captaining the team for two seasons and delivering a title victory in 2024.

At Punjab, Iyer will work in sync with a strong coaching staff, including head coach Ricky Ponting, batting and fielding coach Brad Haddin, and spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi.

Punjab Kings at the IPL 2025 mega auction

PBKS went all-in during the auction, securing key players to bolster their lineup. The team added batting firepower with the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Josh Inglis. In the bowling department, Punjab signed Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, and used the RTM card to retain Arshdeep Singh to strengthen their attack.

Punjab Kings squad: Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey, and Vishnu Vinod.