Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer & Suryakumar Yadav in frame. PC - AFP
Shreyas Iyer was everywhere as Punjab Kings (PBKS) thrashed Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday evening. Iyer was at his tactical best, he contributed massively as a fielder, while the 35-ball 66 blitz was the showstopper act in Mumbai.
As the PBKS captain played a remarkable knock of 66 runs, where he slammed five fours and four biggies, he took the most dangerous-looking bowling line-up of the season. He took the mickey out of the great Jasprit Bumrah, hitting him disdainfully for three boundaries and a towering maximum.
Iyer is playing at a surreal strike rate in this IPL season, hitting 203 runs in just four innings at a strike rate of 188. Interestingly, the spin basher has worked on his strike rate in recent years, especially against his weaknesses against short-bowling. As a result, his strike rates have improved vividly in last two years, i.e. 146.86 in IPL 2024 and 175.07 in IPL 2025.
Ashwin urges BCCI to use Shreyas Iyer as leader
Moreover, Shreyas Iyer has been one of the most tactically sound captains going in the IPL for quite some time now. While appreciating him, former Test great Ravichandran Ashwin backed Iyer's genius both as a leader and a batter.
"By channelising that inner fire, Shreyas (Iyer) has shown everyone exactly what excellence looks like. People raised constant questions, claiming he couldn't handle the short ball. But look at how he responded to Jasprit Bumrah, using a front press to dispatch a short delivery over mid-wicket for a massive six," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Moreover, the former PBKS captain warned the BCCI that if India doesn't have Shreyas Iyer in its leadership group, across all formats, then it's their loss not his.
"Ignore Shreyas Iyer at your own peril. If he isn't in the scheme of things or part of the leadership group, the loss isn't his, it's ours," Ashwin stated.
Also Read: Pakistan Star Ready To Sacrifice T20I Format; Drops Bombshell Amid PSL 2026
Why Shreyas Iyer is negated from IND's current leadership group?
Currently, Shubman Gill is India's captain in Test and ODI formats, while Suryakumar Yadav leads the Men in Blue in T20Is. However, Shreyas Iyer plays only in the 50-over format.
However, in recent years, the 31-year-old has been one of the most successful leaders in the IPL. In 2020, he took the Delhi Capitals to their maiden final. Then he captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title in 2024. Additionally, under his leadership, Punjab Kings bowed out to RCB in the IPL 2025 finals.
Moreover, he had his best IPL season last season, finishing with 604 runs at an average of 50.33, with six fifties to his name and a best of 97*. Despite that, he wasn’t a part of the Indian squad in the 2026 T20 World Cup, which they eventually won.
Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar to get their due after IPL 2026?
With the next cycle set to begin, the BCCI might look to test new faces before the next T20 World Cup and LA Olympics 2028. There are speculations that the 15-year-old prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, might get fast-tracked in the Ireland T20Is.
It would be interesting to see whether players like Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar and Yashasvi Jaiswal get their due after gun performances the season.
India are set to play against low-ranked nations, Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, soon after the IPL 2026.
Also Read: Shreyas Iyer Given Virat Kohli Status After Top Effort In MI vs PBKS
.jpg?type=mq "TR on Virat Kohli")
