NEW DELHI: Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer is on a remarkable run-scoring spree. Continuing his scintillating form, Iyer smashed a blistering century off just 51 balls during a
Vijay Hazare Trophy
match against Karnataka at the Narendra Modi Stadium B Ground in Ahmedabad.
Iyer, who had an outstanding 2024 with the bat and as a captain, hammered 10 sixes and five fours in his unbeaten 114-run knock off just 55 deliveries. His innings powered Mumbai to a colossal 382 for 4 in 50 overs against Karnataka.
Iyer’s incredible 2024 year:
Ranji Trophy: 452 runs, 90.4 average, 88.8 strike rate.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT): 345 runs, 49.3 average, 188.5 strike rate, including a century and a half-century.
Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT): 114* (55) in 1 innings.
The year 2024 truly belonged to Iyer. His incredible journey began with
Kolkata Knight Riders
(KKR), where he led the team to their third IPL title—their first since 2014. KKR, having previously won two titles under Gautam Gambhir, ended their long title drought as Iyer guided them to glory.
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After the IPL triumph, Iyer captained Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, defeating Madhya Pradesh by five wickets in the final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Iyer’s contributions weren’t just limited to leadership. He excelled with the bat in SMAT, scoring 345 runs in 9 matches at an average of 49.28 and a staggering strike rate of 188.52.
Iyer’s success story took another turn when he was released by KKR ahead of the
IPL 2025 auction
. He became one of the marquee players to go under the hammer.
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While KKR initially bid for their title-winning captain, they bowed out at Rs 10 crore, leading to a fierce bidding war between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. Punjab secured Iyer for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore.
It is highly anticipated that Iyer will captain Punjab Kings in the upcoming season. The franchise, yet to win an IPL title since the tournament’s inception in 2008, will be hopeful that their new talismanic leader can finally end their title drought.