India and Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer, the second-most expensive player at the IPL 2025 auction, has been named the new captain of Punjab Kings. The announcement was made on Sunday night during a special appearance by Iyer on the reality TV show Big Boss, where he joined PBKS teammates Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh.
“I am honored that the team has placed its trust in me. I’m excited to work with coach Ricky Ponting again,” Iyer said in a statement. “The squad looks strong, with a great blend of potential and proven performers. I’m eager to repay the faith shown by the management and help deliver our first title.”
PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting praised Iyer’s leadership skills, saying, “Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven leadership will help us achieve success. I’ve enjoyed working with him in the past during the IPL, and I’m looking forward to collaborating again. With his leadership and the talent in the squad, I’m excited for the seasons ahead.”
Iyer, 30, joins an exclusive group of just eight captains who have led their teams to IPL victory, a title he secured with Kolkata Knight Riders last year. Punjab Kings, who had the largest purse at the IPL 2025 mega auction, outbid Delhi Capitals to sign Iyer for INR 26.75 crore (approx. USD 3.18 million). For a brief moment, Iyer held the record as the most expensive player in IPL history before Lucknow Super Giants surpassed him by picking Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore (approx. USD 3.21 million).
This will be Iyer’s third IPL franchise, following stints with Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. He made his IPL debut with DC in 2015 and was appointed their captain midway through 2018, leading the team to the playoffs in each of the next three seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2020. Iyer also captained Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season, finishing fourth among the tournament’s leading run-scorers with 345 runs in nine innings, including a century, at a strike rate of 188.52 and an average over 49.
Iyer will reunite with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who was appointed head coach of PBKS for four years. The two previously enjoyed a successful coach-captain partnership at Delhi Capitals, which was a key factor in PBKS’s decision to bid strongly for Iyer at the auction. Ponting had hinted at the possibility of appointing Iyer as captain after the auction, saying, “I wanted to work with Shreyas again. He’s a great guy and a fantastic player. He’ll be an excellent leader for our team, and obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year.”