Shreyas Iyer's journey as captain in the IPL

Shreyas Iyer has captained three teams in the IPL.

Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been a powerful figure when it comes to captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Iyer has tasted immense success not only as a batter, but also as a captain in the IPL.

The right-handed batsman made his IPL debut in the 2015 edition. He has played over 130 matches in the tournament over the years, where he has mustered over 3600 runs at a decent average of 33+. With a top knock of unbeaten 97*, he has also shattered 26 half-centuries in the tournament.

Iyer has also been a dominant captain in the IPL. He has led three teams in the tournament- Delhi Capitals (DC), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Punjab Kings (PBKS). He has tasted success during his captaincy stint with all these teams.

Iyer led DC to their first-ever final in the 2020 season, drove KKR to the third trophy in the 2024 edition, and led PBKS to the playoffs after a gap of 11 years in the 2025 edition. He became captain for the first time in the 2018 season with the Delhi-based franchise. He is the skipper of PBKS in IPL 2025. On that note, let’s elaborate on Shreyas Iyer’s journey as captain in the IPL.

Shreyas Iyer’s journey as captain in the IPL

Delhi Capitals – 2018 to 2020

In the 2018 season, Iyer became the skipper of Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) midway through the tournament after Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the role after string of defeats. Iyer led the team in the eight games of the league stage. However, the Daredevils finished in the last spot in the points table, managing just five victories and nine defeats out of 14 matches.

In the 2019 season, Iyer was retained as skipper once again. The Daredevils also changed their name to Delhi Capitals ahead of the season. This time, Shreyas Iyer led DC to the third spot in the points table, winning nine games and losing five games out of 14 matches. In the playoffs, they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator, but lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 2.

In IPL 2020, Iyer propelled DC to an even better show as they stole the second spot in the points table to reach the playoffs. They won eight games and lost six out of 14 matches. The Capitals also reached their first-ever final in the 2020 season, however, they lost to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the final and finished as runners-up.

Kolkata Knight Riders – 2022 to 2024

In IPL 2022, KKR bought Iyer into their squad during the mega auction and appointed him as the new skipper. KKR failed to reach the playoffs by finishing in the seventh spot in the points table. Iyer missed the next season in 2023 due to a back injury.

However, he made a wonderful comeback in the 2024 season as the KKR skipper. Under his captaincy, the Knight Riders won their third title by defeating SRH in the final. They were also the most dominant side in the league stage and finished at the top spot in the points table. KKR tasted nine victories and faced only three defeats out of 14 games (two no results).

Punjab Kings – 2025

Shreyas Iyer parted ways with KKR following the 2024 season. Later, PBKS bought him at the IPL 2025 mega auction for a whopping amount of INR 26.75 crores and named him as skipper of the side. Interestingly, PBKS did not reach the playoffs since the 2014 edition.

However, they bounced back with captain Shreyas in the lead. PBKS finished at the top spot in the points table in league stage and stunned the cricket fraternity.

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