The job is only “half done” for captain Shreyas Iyer as he chases a second consecutive IPL title, albeit with a new team: Punjab Kings. Iyer, who had led Kolkata Knight Riders to title triumph in 2024, produced a stunning 41-ball unbeaten 87 against Mumbai Indians on Sunday to power Punjab Kings to its first final in 11 years. The Kings have gone through a remarkable turnaround to make the summit clash, where they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Iyer has been at the forefront of Kings’ revival, leading from the front with 603 runs in 16 innings at 54.81, strike rate of nearly 176 and six fifties.
On Sunday, he single-handedly knocked five-time winners Mumbai Indians out of the race with a well-paced innings that saw Iyer shifting gears smartly.
“Winning the match for the team is obviously the best feeling in the world and on a pressure occasion, yes, I would rate this as the top-most innings of mine, absolutely,” Iyer told the media ahead of title clash against RCB..
“I love to play the situation as much as possible and not get too much ahead of the game. If I’m chasing, I see the required run rate and how the wicket is playing and which all bowlers are going to come.
“Based on that, I plan my tactics and also I see to it that I take the game to the end. All these planning have to be precise and has to work on the given day.” Iyer said since he felt “the job is only half done”, he did not feel like celebrating on Sunday.
“It’s not yet finished. We have another match tomorrow. From that mindset, my approach was that my job is half done. I have to come back tomorrow,” he said.
Iyer did not make it all about himself, acknowledging that the contributions from others have allowed him to play with freedom.
“I back myself, I back my instincts and I think that’s when I get the best out of myself. Also, when other players are involved around you and keep performing, that also gives you a little bit of extra push to keep going,” he said.
“The role of a captain is that you have to get the best out of your players in terms of performance, and when we got a start in this tournament with two victories, we got a momentum and after that every individual kept stepping up.
“There are a lot of youngsters in our team, you got to see their fearless nature. Right from ball one, they dictated terms and they are still doing it. Some or the other player has stepped up in every game and put their hands up to say ‘I will win the match for the team’ and that has happened. This is why our season has been consistent.” Iyer also praised coach Ricky Ponting for rallying around the troops well this season.
“He is an amazing coach who manages the player precisely and I personally feel that one thing that stands out with him is that he treats everyone equally,” Iyer said when asked about the former Australian captain.
“That gives a real big boost to every individual, whether he is a junior or a senior. When you know that the coach is treating everyone equally, you are positive and you get that freedom from him to go out there and express the best of your abilities.” Iyer agreed that this year’s IPL final against a team led by Rajat Patidar brought back memories of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy earlier this season.
The Iyer-led Mumbai had beaten Madhya Pradesh to win the premier domestic T20 tournament.
“Yes, I am getting the Mushtaq Ali feeling. When I met Rajat, I told him that the Mushtaq Ali (final) is getting repeated, we both are back in the final,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Source: NDTV Sports
