IPL 2026: Shreyas Iyer on brink of history, set to become fifth captain…

Punjab Kings captain, Shreyas Iyer (Image Credit: IPL)

Shreyas Iyer is on the verge of a major IPL milestone as he prepares to captain Punjab Kings in his 100th Indian Premier League match as captain during their clash with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala.Iyer’s journey as captain spanned three IPL franchises: Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. So far, he has captained Delhi in 41 matches, leading KKR and PBKS in 29 matches.In his landmark 100th match, Iyer recorded 56 wins as captain, including two Super Over victories, while suffering 40 defeats. Three matches ended without a result. His impressive win percentage of 58.3 puts him level with Dhoni for the joint best win percentage among IPL captains in matches completed. Over the years, Iyer has established himself as one of the competition’s most successful leaders. He remains the only captain in IPL history to lead three different franchises to the IPL final.He first led Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final against Mumbai Indians before taking KKR to a winning campaign in 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He also led Punjab Kings to the final against RCB last season.Once he leaves for the draw, Iyer will become only the fifth captain in IPL history to complete 100 matches as captain, joining the elite list of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.Apart from his leadership credentials, Iyer continued to perform with the bat. He recently became only the second captain in IPL history after KL Rahul to score more than 1,000 IPL runs as captain for two different franchises, achieving the feat for both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. The milestone comes at a crucial stage in Punjab’s season. After an impressive undefeated stretch early in the tournament, PBKS slipped into a tough run with five straight losses, putting their playoff hopes under serious pressure.Iyer made 396 runs in 11 matches at an average of 49.50 and a strike rate of 164.31 with five fifties, but his second-half performances were very poor during those five losses. Apart from a fine 59 against DC, Iyer has scored just 4, 5, 19 and a slow 30 in the remaining matches. Despite these five losses, he has scored just 117 runs at an average of 23.40.

Will Shreyas Iyer lead Punjab Kings to the playoffs this season?

With Punjab looking to revive their campaign, Iyer’s 100th game as IPL captain could prove to be both a personal milestone and a defining moment in the PBKS play-off battle.