Shreyas Iyer says he was “gobsmacked” when Punjab Kings picked him up for INR 26.75 crore in the IPL mega auction.
It has been made official. Shreyas Iyer will lead Punjab Kings in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-handed batter who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third title win in 2024 was picked up by Punjab for a whopping price of INR 26.75 crore.
Shreyas Iyer says he was “gobsmacked” when Punjab Kings picked him up for INR 26.75 crore in the IPL mega auction. (PTI)
Shreyas Iyer is now the second-most expensive player in the history of the cash-rich league. The 30-year-old has now revealed his reaction to being picked up for such a big amount, saying he was left “gobsmacked” when Ricky Ponting and co picked him up for more than INR 25 crore.
Shreyas Iyer first stint with captaincy in the IPL came in 2018 when Delhi Capitals appointed him as the skipper midway through the season. Working in unison with Ponting, Shreyas Iyer helped Delhi make 2019 to 2021, including the final in 2020.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked. I wasn’t expecting that amount, but I was expecting somewhere around that amount. So once [the bidding] crossed a certain point, I was covering my ears with cotton, and I just didn’t want to stay in front of the TV,” Shreyas Iyer told ESPNCricinfo.
“I went to the washroom. I was in Hyderabad at that point in time, playing Syed Mushtaq Ali (Iyer was Mumbai’s captain). Yeah, I was dumbstruck,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer reunites with Ricky Ponting
Quite expectedly, Shreyas Iyer is excited to work with Ricky Ponting once again. Of late, Shreyas has also been in remarkable form for Mumbai.
The batter has been striking the ball really well, and it needs to be seen whether Shreyas will make India’s Champions Trophy squad.
Shreyas Iyer said he wants to play the anchor role for Punjab Kings heading into the new IPL season. “I want to be that anchor in the team who usually plays at No. 3, who can bat, once set, until the 15-16th over and end on a good note. That’s how I started playing my cricket in the past, when I was representing DC. Also, when we were brainstorming with Ricky, this was the position [we spoke about] for me to be in.”
Speaking further, he said, “I feel that I’m flexible. I can bat at any position, as I did in KKR, but still, some people think my numbers weren’t that great. But if you go and see the numbers and the positions at which I batted, the strike rate, and also the average and combine all that, it benefited the team in every possible way.”
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