New Delhi, March 18
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer is focused on creating history for the franchise by winning their first-ever title in the upcoming IPL 2025 season commencing on March 22.
Iyer was bought by Punjab for Rs 26.75 crore in last year's mega auction in Jeddah. He was named the captain of the franchise earlier this year. The stylish batter led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title in the 2024 season.
"From the moment I was picked in the auction, my desire has been clear - Punjab Kings haven’t won the IPL yet, and my goal is to lift the trophy for them. That would be a historic achievement, and I want to make the fans happy and give them a reason to celebrate. A Punjabi celebration at the end of the season would be something special," Iyer said on JioHotstar's Superstars.
Reminiscing about his first IPL memory, Iyer recalled being a ball boy at Wankhede Stadium for a match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2008 when he was just 14 years old, saying, "I grew up playing street cricket in my area, and at that time, I was playing for Mumbai’s U-14 team. All the kids from the Mumbai squad were assigned to be ball boys, and I was lucky to be one of them. That was my first experience of IPL up close."
"I remember being shy and reserved, but when I saw my friends approaching players, I felt left out and decided to try too. Ross Taylor was one of my favourite players back then, so I went up to him and said, ‘Sir, I’m a big fan of yours'. He was very sweet and thanked me. Back then, it was common to ask for a bat or gloves, but I was too shy to ask, even though I really wanted to."
Iyer also recalled meeting Irfan Pathan and being in awe of the charismatic Punjab Kings squad, led by Yuvraj Singh at that time.
"I vividly remember Irfan Pathan standing at long-on. He sat next to us and asked if we were enjoying the match. We told him we were having a lot of fun and were thrilled to see him. At that time, Irfan bhai was very popular, and the Punjab team had some of the most good looking boys, including Yuvi pa (Yuvraj Singh). It’s a memory that has stayed with me even after so many years," he said.
Iyer shared his thoughts on commentary in regional languages, he said, "We do enjoy it. When we started playing cricket, we used to talk in our own languages in the dressing room. In Mumbai, we even have different names for shots. In different regions, people have their own way of describing how a shot was played. When we hear it for the first time, it’s a bit of a culture shock - like, wow, these are the words used in cricket! As you progress to the international level, you get to learn about these different expressions."
Punjab Kings will take on Gujarat Titans in their opening encounter of the season in Ahmedabad on March 25