Former Team India cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath praised Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer ahead of the IPL 2026 season. The cricketer-turned-commentator ranked Iyer below veteran Indian leaders MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir in the captaincy order.
Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024. The middle-order batsman led the Punjab Kings in 2025, making the franchise runners-up after losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He has built a strong reputation as one of the leading tactical minds in franchise cricket today.
It is too early to compare Shreyas Iyer with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma – Subramaniam Badrinath
Speaking on his personal YouTube channel, Subramaniam Badrinath admitted that it is too early to compare Shreyas Iyer with the five-time champions like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, but he placed the Punjab Kings captain next in the overall hierarchy.
Badrinath said on his YouTube channel, “It is a bit premature to compare him with legendary captains like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. He is on a different level and is one of the best Indian cricket has ever seen. Both of them have five titles each.”
“Shreyas still hasn’t won as many titles as these two legends, except one with KKR. But he is definitely up there. If you make a list of the best IPL captains, I would put him after MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir,” he said.
As a young captain, Shreyas does it beautifully – Subramaniam Badrinath
Shreyas Iyer has created an impressive record as IPL captain with 48 wins in 83 matches. Apart from making strategic field placements, franchise leadership also includes managing the dressing room, handling international cricketers and answering to the team owners.
Considering the challenge of balancing the expectations of head coach Ricky Ponting and co-owner Preity Zinta, Subramaniam Badrinath said Iyer handles the immense pressure at Punjab Kings.
“IPL captaincy is tough. On one side, you have Ricky Ponting and the Australian players. Then on the other side you have the Indian players. You have the team management, and Preity Zinta might ask some questions which you have to answer. To handle all this as a young captain, Shreyas does it beautifully.”
PBKS is a favorite of many Indian fans because… – Subramaniam Badrinath
During the IPL 2025 season, Shreyas Iyer scored 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, which included six important half-centuries at the top of the order.
Badrinath credited Iyer for taking Punjab Kings to the final almost single-handedly. He stressed that it would be important for Iyer to deliver another stellar run-scoring season to return to India’s T20 team.
“PBKS is a favorite of many Indian fans because of the support they have from the Indian youth. Shreyas Iyer seems to be the leader of the people. He captained brilliantly last year and batted incredibly well, scoring 604 runs.”
“He single-handedly made PBKS runners-up. As a batsman, this season will be important for him to make a place in the Indian T20I team.”
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