In his third IPL captaincy stint, this time with Punjab Kings, Iyer is relishing the challenge of leading a franchise that has yet to add to its trophy cabinet
Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jan-20254:08
Iyer: “The more relaxed you are, the more instinctive calls you take, you get the right results”
For a few minutes at the auction late last year Shreyas Iyer was the most expensive player in IPL history before that tag shifted to Rishabh Pant. Still the Rs 26.75 crore (US$ 3.12 million approx) that Punjab Kings bought him for makes Iyer the second most expensive buy in the IPL. Perhaps the biggest reason Punjab spent so much was, they wanted to make him the captain, which they have – in news that has now formally been made public.Iyer may not be the most sought after batter, but his leadership skills, the backbone of which are his unwavering confidence and self-belief, have always made him captaincy material, which franchises recognised early. Midway into the 2018 IPL, Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) appointed him captain. Iyer, under the guidance of Ricky Ponting, who was then head coach, helped Capitals make the playoffs from 2019 to 2021, including the final in 2020. Kolkata Knight Riders bought Iyer in the 2022 auction and made him captain again, a move that paid dividends when he led the franchise to its third IPL title last year.In this interview, Iyer gave us a peek into his leadership philosophy, his thoughts on reuniting with Ponting as Punjab head coach, and why he is not daunted by the challenge of leading a franchise that has never won the IPL.Related
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You are among only eight captains to have lifted the IPL trophy. Firstly, how heavy is that trophy?
It is bloody heavy because there are so many pearls on it! The replica, which we were carrying right before the game during a photo shoot, wasn’t that heavy. But the one that you lift after winning the match is quite heavy – around seven to ten kilos. But it’s fantastic. The feeling is completely different – it’s like you’re holding the queen’s necklace, hypothetically speaking. The feeling is outstanding.In 2020 you came close to winning the title when you were leading Delhi Capitals, who lost to Mumbai Indians in the final. Now that you are an IPL-winning captain, how proud are you of that feat?
It’s a proud feeling to be one of the eight guys. The journey has been like a rollercoaster ride, it has never been easy. I’m someone who believes thoroughly in winning all the time. I hate losing, personally, and I think that’s what has elevated me to where I am right now as a captain.Iyer on the PBKS head coach: “I love the way Ricky Ponting thinks – he is optimistic in his thought process and would never doubt himself”•Delhi CapitalsWere you gobsmacked when you saw the price Punjab Kings bought you for?
I was absolutely gobsmacked. I wasn’t expecting that amount, but I was expecting somewhere around that amount. So once [the bidding] crossed a certain point, I was covering my ears with cotton and I just didn’t want to stay in front of the TV. I went to the washroom. I was in Hyderabad at that point of time, playing Syed Mushtaq Ali (Iyer was Mumbai captain). Yeah, I was dumbstruck.After he was appointed head coach at Punjab, Ponting said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that if the captain and coach are on the same page and work together, “that’s when the magic happens”. Do you already feel secure that you have him in the dugout?
Yes, absolutely. I feel the captain and the coach are the ones who are the decision-makers on the field – and even off the field at times, because you want all the players to be happy and have a certain kind of focus towards the team winning matches, more than just going out there and enjoying. The responsibility is also shared equally. It’s not that we will be putting the blame on each other. I’ve worked with him in the past, I know how his mindset is, and I know he gives that sort of freedom.At the same time, when you provide freedom, there comes responsibility as well. If you are owning up to the responsibilities and putting your hand up to say that, okay, yeah, I’m the one who made that mistake, or I’m the one to bite the bullet, he would be more than welcoming. I know his nature – he is someone who likes a person or a player who owns up to his mistakes. That’s one great thing about him. Also, T20 is such a fast-paced game, things are bound to happen. And the ones who make the least amount of mistakes are the ones who stay calm and composed. And I’m sure as a coach he provides that sort of composure to every individual.Ahead of the 2020 IPL you said you run on instinct – both your batting and your leadership. When it comes to man management what kind of a captain are you? What is your captaincy style?
I’m a liberating captain. I just let the players be. I don’t have a set group [of players] who I chill with or that I love to hang out with. I will just be by myself and maybe that’s my attitude and that’s how I am as a person, because from the outside I don’t want to be portrayed as [someone who] only gives attention to certain players in the team. I love players to be themselves. I don’t want them to behave in any particular way. But when we are on the field, I want each and every individual to have the same mindset and the same motto: winning and contributing towards the team’s benefit. That’s it. I don’t want anything else.When you have so much freedom, I feel that the players also understand that this particular guy is going to back me. And I am that sort of captain who believes in backing players, no matter what the situation is. I love being instinctive and sometimes I take out-of-the-box calls you won’t even imagine. It works for me. And I felt that it worked for me in the [2024 IPL] final as well.Iyer brought on Andre Russell, who took key wickets in the 2024 IPL final, a decision he credits to his gut feel for the game•AFP/Getty ImagesCan you give us an example from that final?
One of the guys who came from outside [the KKR dugout], he asked me, “Why did you give Andre Russell the bowling at that point of time?” I think he went for runs in the first or second over he bowled, and then no one expected [him to bowl consecutive overs], because other bowlers were bowling consistently and they were brilliant with their lines and lengths. But I know this guy is a game changer and he could come and give you the breakthrough you need. So it was like a gut call. The first thought that comes to mind, I always back it.Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar were in the KKR dugout as coaches and before that it was Ponting at DC. As think tanks, they will have provided you, as captain, with a lot of ideas. But have you now come to a place where you take decisions more independently?
I love to take decisions independently, but at the same time I like to brainstorm with everyone, know their ideas, because everyone should have [inputs] towards the team’s success and [it’s important] to listen to them. That way I gain a lot of knowledge from others, from the opinions they have. Their perception of the team also matters. And if I find [they make] the right point, sometimes I go and execute that.It’s the team, at the end of the day, and you have to make the right decisions for the team, not for yourself. You can’t take the credit all the time. So I think GG, Abhishek Nayar, being around the think tank helped a lot. And also Chandrakant Pandit Sir. He’s someone who brings discipline to the team [KKR]. It was a great set-up to be part of, and when all of us think in the same direction, you get results.Is discipline an important factor for you personally?
Yeah. For example, if you are playing a game in the morning and it starts at 9am, you need to know what time to go to bed. If you go to bed late, your body’s not going to recover and you will face things the next day you won’t even imagine. So I feel it is majorly important, and especially as a youngster, you don’t realise how much it affects you, but in the later stages [of your career] you have a fair idea about where you stand and how much experience you’ve gained over a period of time, so you prioritise things rightly and you know what basically helps you and what doesn’t. Personally for me, [discipline] has helped a lot, and when I follow a certain set of routines for myself I can see the results. It may be different for certain people or certain players might be doing something else, but at the end of the day, all I care about is, you are giving 110% on the field. If you’re doing that without being disciplined, it’s completely fine.Tactically, on a scale of 1 to 10, where do you place yourself in T20s?
I would always rate [myself] 10 because I don’t like to doubt myself at all.
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There was a picture you posted after winning the IPL last season: it shows the IPL trophy poolside with you in the water with the captain “taking you everywhere I go.” Guess you want to bring it to Punjab now?
Yes, absolutely. Keeping fingers crossed.How good is your Punjabi?
Well, I’ve started singing a few Punjabi songs, so I’m hoping it keeps getting better.You have been in a rich vein of form since winning the IPL. Recently you led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and were one of the key batters. With the kind of batters you have at Punjab, are you looking to play with more freedom, or do you have a role in mind you want to play?
I want to be that anchor in the team who usually plays at No. 3, who can bat, once set, until the 15-16th over and end on a good note. That’s how I started playing my cricket in the past, when I was representing DC. Also, when we were brainstorming with Ricky, this was the position [we spoke about] for me to be in.Do you feel such a role gives you more freedom to play?
I feel that I’m flexible. I can bat at any position, as I did in KKR, but still some people think that my numbers weren’t that great. But if you go and see the numbers and the positions at which I batted, the strike rate and also the average and combined all that, it benefited the team in every possible way. It’s just that perception people create from the outside, that this particular batsman should be batting at this [position in the] order. I am not that kind of a thinker. I love to be flexible. I can bat at any [position]. If my team demands I bat at a certain position, I would do that.Outside of red-ball cricket, you and KL Rahul played the catalyst role in the middle order at the 2023 World Cup. Are you keen on taking on that role again in ODIs at the Champions Trophy?
Absolutely. I’m flexible and ready to bat anywhere in the batting order. KL and I, we played that important role in the middle during the World Cup. We had a great season together. It was just the last bit [the final] that we couldn’t execute the way we wanted to. It will be a proud moment for me if I were to be picked in the Champions Trophy [side] to represent the country.