Top India batter and former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer on Sunday said that he can't wait to kickstart the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 with his new team Punjab Kings (PBKS). Iyer created a new record in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Punjab Kings (PBKS) roped in the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain for a whopping price of Rs 26.75 crore.
The 29-year-old became the second most expensive player in the history of the IPL. However, the record was broken in a few minutes as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made the first bid of Rs 2 crore. Punjab Kings came in at Rs 2.20 crore. In between, KKR stopped bidding and Delhi Capitals (DC) came into the picture. The Delhi-based franchise raised the price to Rs 25 crore.
The two franchises kept on making a bid for the 29-year-old. In the end, the Punjab-based franchise won the bidding war and set a landmark in the history of the cash-rich tournament. Iyer said that he is "elated" to join the Punjab-based franchise and looking forward to the upcoming season.
"Hello everyone, elated to join the Punjab Kings family. I can't wait to kickstart with the season. Looking forward," Iyer said in a video shared on Punjab Kings' official Instagram handle. Iyer has played all formats for India, proving his mettle mostly in ODI cricket, where he averages 47 and has scored five centuries and 18 fifties in 57 ODIs. In 51 T20Is for India, Iyer has scored 1,104 runs at an average of 30.66 and a strike rate of over 136, with eight half-centuries and best score of 74*.
During his time with Delhi Capitals (2015-21), he earned a reputation as a fierce young leader, taking DC to finals in 2021. After joining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2022, Iyer went one step further and won the franchise its third IPL title, its first in 10 years, this year. Throughout the season, Iyer along with mentor Gautam Gambhir, led the team's aggressive, high-scoring brand of cricket from the front.
In his IPL career, Iyer has scored 2,375 runs at an average of 31.67, with a strike rate of 123.96 and 16 half-centuries. His best score is 96. In his last season for KKR, he scored 351 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of over 146, making two fifties.
