From emerging star to captain fantastic: Shreyas Iyer's IPL journey

Shreyas Iyer's IPL journey is a compelling story of growth, dedication, and leadership. From stepping into the grand stage as a promising young batsman to eventually shouldering the responsibility of captaincy and winning the trophy, he has finally earned the love and respect he deserved from all the cricket fans.

Explore this journey with us and relive those battles he fought to evolve from an emerging star to captain fantastic!

Iyer's IPL debut and initial impact (2015-2017) | Delhi Capitals

Shreyas Iyer made his IPL debut at the age of 20 years and 6 months in 2015 season. His journey began with a bang when he was acquired by Delhi Capitals for ₹2.6 crore, which made headlines as he became the highest earning uncapped player in the tournament.

His auction bid spotlight on him and he responded with a sensational debut, scoring 439 runs at an average of 33.76 in that season. He also won the IPL emerging player for the season award in 2015.

Iyer became DC's favourite and was retained for seven years in a row.

Read Also: Teams to finish last in IPL Points Table

Youngest captain for DC and early leadership (2018)

The 2018 season was a significant turning point in Shreyas Iyer's IPL journey. At the age of 23 years and 142 days, he was given the captaincy, which made him the youngest captain for DC franchise and the fourth-youngest in any IPL side in history.

Iyer smashed a match-winning knock of 93* runs off 40 balls against KKR in his captaincy debut. In the 8 matches he captained, DC won 4 out of them, showing a 50% winning rate.

Leading from the front: The Delhi Capitals Era (2019-2022)

Iyer continued as a captain, leading the franchise into a new, more successful era from 2019 onwards. He led the team into the playoffs for the first time in seven years, finishing third in the league stage in IPL 2019.

He also had a strong season with the bat, scoring 463 runs.

Read Also: Most wins after 76 games as captain in IPL

Maiden Final appearance: A historic season (2020)

Under his strong leadership, Delhi Capitals reached their maiden IPL final in the history of the tournament in IPL 2020. While the team lost to Mumbai Indians in the finals, Iyer's captaincy was highly praised.

He scored 65* runs off 50 balls in the final match.

Iyer's stats for DC (2015-2021)

Throughout his captaincy tenure (2018-2020), Iyer consistently contributed with the bat. His best season with the bat was in IPL 2020, when he scored 519 runs in 17 matches.

He was succeeded by Rishabh Pant as the captain in IPL 2021 season.

He scored a total of 2375 runs in 87 matches for Delhi Capitals.

A new chapter: KKR and the title glory (2022-2024)

Shreyas Iyer entered the 2022 mega auction and was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹12.25 crore, and was immediately appointed as the new captain.

His first year with KKR concluded with a 7th position finish in the points table, and him scoring 401 runs in 14 matches total.

Missing a season (2023)

Iyer was ruled out entirely of IPL 2023 due to his back injury and Nitish Rana stepped in as the captain for KKR during his absence. He eventually recovered and made a grand comeback in the next season.

The Champion season: Leading KKR to their 3rd IPL title

The 2024 IPL season under Iyer's captaincy was nothing short of a fairy tale for KKR, and they got the ending they deserved. They dominated the game throughout the tournament and finished at the top of the points table.

Things even accelerated in the playoffs, where KKR delivered stunning team performances. They finally clinched the IPL title by defeating SRH by 8 wickets in the Final.

This marked Iyer's first IPL title as a captain.

Read Also: Most IPL Finals: Teams with most final appearances in IPL history

Iyer's stats for KKR (2022-2024)

A record-breaking season with Punjab Kings (2025)

The reigning champion, KKR, made a big decision to not retain Shreyas Iyer ahead he mega auction, which left the fans shocked. However, Punjab Kings acquired him for ₹26.75 crore, making him the second-most expensive player in IPL history.

He was appointed as the captain and consistently proved how he was worth every penny!

Read Also: Suryavanshi touching Dhoni's feet: Here are 10 best moments of IPL 2025

Finishing at the top of the table:

Punjab Kings often struggled for consistency in their earlier seasons, and Shreyas completely changed the narrative for them this year. He started this season for the franchise with a selfless 97*, sacrificing his maiden IPL century, and led the team to 9 wins out of 14 matches.

Under his captaincy, the team not only qualified for the playoffs after 11 years, but also finished at the top of the table in league stage.

Leading PBKS to a historic Final 

After breaking the 11-year drought of qualifying for playoffs, the team also reached their first final since 2014. Shreyas Iyer single-handedly made this possible with his match-winning knock of 87* off 41 balls in the Qualifier 2. He also became the captain with most 50+ scores in IPL playoffs.

Punjab put up an extremely tough fight for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final, ultimately losing by just 6 runs. Iyer's impact was undeniable for PBKS, who made this season a memorable one for them.

He also became the first captain to lead 3 different teams to the IPL Finals (DC in 2020, KKR in 2024, and PBKS in 2025).

Read Also: Most 50+ scores as a captain in IPL playoffs

Iyer's stats for PBKS (2025)

Shreyas Iyer was the highest-scorer for PBKS in 2025 and finished 6th in the Orange Cap leaderboard. He also smashed 39 sixes in this season, which overall the second-highest.