Team India’s batting superstar Shreyas Iyer once again became the talking point of the town after Punjab Kings (PBKS) named him the team’s captain for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
Following the 30-year-old’s triumphant campaign to lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to its third championship title in the previous season, the Preity Zinta-owned franchise acquired him for a lucrative price of INR 26.75 crore in the mega auction
With Iyer appointed as the new skipper, the expectations are set high as he sets out on the challenge of leading a new PBKS squad to its maiden IPL glory in the 18th season.
Over these years, Shreyas has captained multiple franchises and boasts incredible achievements in his leadership journey at home and away venues since 2018. Let’s take a look at Iyer’s blistering run as a skipper in the IPL and compare his captaincy records with MS Dhoni after 70 matches.
A Beginning of Shreyas Iyer’s Journey as IPL Captain: 2018 to 2020 Edition
Shreyas Iyer rose to prominence as he was appointed as the Delhi Capitals (DC) captain in the mid-season of IPL 2018 after Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the captaincy role citing his inability to handle the pressure. In that season, he captained 8 out of 14 matches and secured 4 wins. Still, Delhi concluded at the bottom position in the points table with 10 points and a -0.222 net run rate (NRR).
However, Delhi under Iyer’s captaincy matured as a highly competitive team and reached consecutive playoffs from 2019 to 2021. His notable achievement with the Capitals came when he led the team to its maiden IPL final in 2020. In 2021, the right-handed batter opted out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury and Rishabh Pant led the team in his absence.
Iyer’s Stint with KKR as Captain: 2022 to 2024 Season
KKR acquired Iyer for INR 12.25 crore in the IPL 2022 mega auction. But, he achieved great success as a captain in the IPL 2024 edition when he guided the Knight Riders to their IPL title after 12 years.
He proved his worth as a captain with his strategic decisions on the field and consistent performance with the bat, which played a vital role in Kolkata’s championship run.
Shreyas Overall IPL Captaincy Record: Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders
Although Shreyas led Delhi in 41 games, his success rate as a captain improved when he led Kolkata in 29 matches. Here is a brief comparison of his IPL captaincy records for both the teams:
| Team | Overall Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win (%) | Loss (%) |
| Delhi Capitals (2018 to 2020) | 41 | 21 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 54.28 | 41.41 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (2022 to 2024) | 29 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 58.62 | 37.93 |
Iyer’s Captaincy at Home and Away Venues in IPL
Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy record at home is much stronger compared to away venues. This is because he maintained a solid winning percentage for both teams at home, but has a mixed bag of wins and losses at away stadiums:
1. Matches at Home as Captain:
| Team | Matches at Home | Won | Lost | Tied | Win (%) |
| Delhi Capitals (2018 to 2020) | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 53.33 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (2022 to 2024) | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 67.70 |
2. Matches Away as Captain:
| Team | Matches at Home | Won | Lost | Tied | Win (%) |
| Delhi Capitals (2018 to 2020) | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 53.84 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (2022 to 2024) | 15 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 40 |
Iyer vs Dhoni: IPL Captaincy Records Comparison After 70 Matches
1. Overall Record After 70 IPL Matches:
MS Dhoni holds a higher winning percentage as CSK captain having played his first 70 games from 2008 to 2012 editions. In comparison, Iyer as a captain represented DC and KKR for 70 matches in five seasons— 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2024, but has a winning percentage of 54.28%.
| Aspects/Factors | MS Dhoni | Shreyas Iyer |
| Number of Matches Played | 70 | 70 |
| Won | 42 | 38 |
| Lost | 27 | 29 |
| Tied | 0 | 2 |
| Result as None | 1 | 1 |
| Winning Percentage (%) | 60.87% | 54.28% |
2. Captaincy Records in Playoffs:
In MSD’s first 70 games as a captain, CSK concluded as the runner-up in the 2008 edition and concluded as the semi-finalist in 2009. However, Chennai claimed its first two IPL titles in 2010 and 2011.
On the other side, Shreyas tasted victory only in the 2024 edition as KKR captain. He created history by becoming the first captain to lead DC to an IPL final in 2020.
The following is a comparison of Dhoni and Iyer’s captaincy records in playoffs till their first 70 IPL matches as a skipper:
| Aspects/Factors | MS Dhoni (2008 to 2011) | Shreyas Iyer (2018 to 2024) |
| Number of Playoff Matches Played | 7 | 7 |
| Won | 5 | 4 |
| Lost | 2 | 3 |
3. Consistency as a Batter (During Captaincy Tenure):
As a captain, Shreyas Iyer scored more runs and maintained an impressive statistical performance than MS Dhoni as tabulated below:
| Aspects/Factors | MS Dhoni | Shreyas Iyer |
| Innings Played | 61 | 69 |
| Runs Scored | 1,626 | 1,994 |
| Average | 37.81 | 33.81 |
| Strike Rate | 135.61 | 129.61 |
| Number of Fifties | 8 | 12 |
| Highest Score | 70 (not out) vs RCB in 2011 | 93 (not out) vs KKR in 2018 |
