Punjab Kings’ costliest acquisition Shreyas Iyer is “super excited” about being a part of the franchise and is hopeful of delivering results from the very first match.

It has been a remarkable year for Punjab Kings’ latest acquisition. At the start of the year, Shreyas Iyer was part of the Mumbai team that won the Ranji Trophy for the 42nd time. He then led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third Indian Premier League title. He was also a member of the Irani Cup-winning Mumbai team.

Under his leadership, Mumbai won the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), their second SMAT title, last week.

“Surreal feeling after winning Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. A lot of hard work took place behind the scenes. The boys were tremendous with their performance. Now we are done with this part,” Iyer said in a video uploaded on Punjab Kings’ official social media handles.

Now, the Mumbai cricketer is laser-focused on a significant task: winning a maiden IPL trophy for the Punjab Kings. Iyer, who was signed on by the Kings at the Auctions last month for Rs 26.75 crore, expressed his excitement about joining the franchise.

“Super excited to be part of Punjab Kings. I cannot wait to join the Punjab Kings family. It’s been a great year for me to win four trophies. My main goal is to win the IPL trophy for Punjab,” Iyer said.

The 30-year-old, who has previously played under the guidance of former Australia World Cup-winning Captain Ricky Ponting in the IPL, said he is looking forward to brainstorming alongside one of the cricketing legends once again. Earlier this year, the Kings announced Ponting as the new Head Coach for the franchise.

“I can understand what the feelings must be among the fans. With Ricky coming in, we have shared a great camaraderie from the past. We would be putting our thinking caps on and brainstorming on many aspects. Hopefully, we will deliver from the match one,” Iyer signed off.

Shreyas worked alongside Ponting for three seasons when he was the captain of Delhi Capitals while the former Aussie captain was the Head Coach.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024, India’s premier domestic T20 tournament, not only crowned Mumbai as champions but also showcased outstanding performances from players representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). These stellar displays reaffirm RCB’s balanced squad and promising prospects for IPL 2025.

Standout Performances by RCB Players

• Rajat Patidar: Madhya Pradesh’s Batting Powerhouse
  Stats: 428 runs in nine innings at an average of 61.14 and a strike rate of 186.08.
  Highlights:
  An unbeaten 81 in the final against Mumbai.
  Match-winning contributions of 68 (vs Bengal) and 62 (vs Punjab).
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Uttar Pradesh’s Bowling Maestro
  Stats: 11 wickets in nine matches, economy rate of 6.03.
  Key Highlight: A stunning hat-trick against Jharkhand, with figures of 3/6.
• Rasikh Salam: Jammu and Kashmir’s Emerging Speedster
  Stats: 11 wickets in seven matches, economy rate of 7.46.
  Highlight: A fiery 3/30 against Manipur, dismantling their batting lineup.

Special Mentions

• Manoj Bhandage: Seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.55 for Karnataka.
• Krunal Pandya: Eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.77 for Baroda.
• Jitesh Sharma: A striking 135 runs for Vidarbha at an explosive strike rate of 225.00—the third-highest in the tournament.

Building Momentum for IPL 2025
RCB’s strong representation in SMAT 2024 underscores the franchise’s commitment to nurturing top-tier talent. With proven performers like Patidar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, alongside emerging stars such as Rasikh Salam, RCB enters IPL 2025 with renewed confidence and balance.

All-rounder Krunal Pandya recently shared his excitement about playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Baroda-based cricketer was roped in by the franchise at the IPL 2025 auction at INR 5.75 crore.

In a video shared by RCB on their official YouTube channel, Krunal spoke about his admiration for the team’s marquee player Virat Kohli. He emphasized how he is fond of the ace batter’s passion for the game.

“We all know who’s Virat Kohli and what he has done. Lots to learn as well from him. Again, I love his passion and aggression, what he brings to the team and that energy just rubs onto the others as well. I love that vibe and energy.”

“I’m also very passionate; I love winning. The agenda when I go out there on the field is to win, regardless of what happens. Sometimes, that brings out that aggression because you are so passionate about the game. At the end of the day, what I believe is that it’s a team game. For me, winning becomes much more important rather than individual performance because I love winning trophies.”