Shreyas Iyer confirmed as Punjab Kings captain on Bigg Boss 18 in presence of teammates Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh

Punjab Kings (PBKS) has unveiled Shreyas Iyer as their new captain ahead of IPL 2025 as the announcement came through in the latest episode of Bigg Boss on Sunday, January 12. The right-handed batter was announced as skipper in the presence of teammates Yuzvendra Chahal and Shashank Singh.

The Mumbai-born cricketer proved to be one of the most expensive players in the auction ahead of the 2025 edition, fetching ₹26.75 crore from the franchise after an intense bidding war. The 30-year-old was not retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2025 edition despite captaining the franchise to their third title victory.

Addressing the franchise's decision to appoint him as captain, Shreyas Iyer stated (via Cricbuzz):

"I am honored that the team has reposed its faith in me. I am looking forward to working again with Coach Ponting. The team looks strong, with a great mix of potential and proven performers. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title."

In 115 IPL matches, Iyer has amassed 3127 runs at 32.24 with 21 half-centuries.

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"He is a great player" - Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer

Ricky Ponting. (Image Credits: Getty)

With former Australian great Ricky Ponting reuniting with the star cricketer as PBKS' head coach, he praised Iyer's inclusion in the franchise. Speaking to Star Sports after the auction, Ponting stated:

"I wanted to work with Shreyas. I've worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He'll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I'm pretty sure we probably will. And obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab."

Punjab Kings finished ninth in the IPL 2024 standings with five wins in 14 games. Their best performance came in the 2014 edition when the franchise made it to the final under the leadership of George Bailey. They have yet to even reach the playoffs ever since.