[WATCH] 'He encourages players to trust their skills and play for the team' - Punjab Kings players praise skipper Shreyas Iyer

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be up against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, June 1. The man behind the success of the Punjab franchise is skipper and star middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer. The 30-year-old Champions Trophy winner has proved his worth as a leader and a batter this year.

There is no doubt that the PBKS fans love Iyer, but a skipper also needs a lot of support from his teammates. This was shown in a recent video, where all the young and emerging PBKS players shared their views on the Mumbai-born player and how his influence has resulted in the team having one of their best seasons, helping them qualify for the playoffs after 11 years. The players in the clip include PBKS leading wicket-taker Arshdeep Singh, star opener Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, and Musheer Khan.

“I’ve played with Iyer before, under his captaincy in the Duleep Trophy, and I really enjoyed it. He always backed his players and gave them the freedom to express themselves. What I’ve noticed here is that his approach remains the same – he doesn’t impose rigid instructions but encourages players to trust their skills and play for the team. He promotes a selfless approach, assuring full backing to the players. I truly admire this mindset, and as players, we will do our best to support him,” Arshdeep spoke on Star Sports.

Similarly, Prabhsimran Singh praised the IPL 2024 winning skipper.

“Whenever he was saying that if we think it's positive, then let us go for it. He always says one thing, there is no need of thinking, if there comes any double thought in your mind, then don’t even think about it. If you feel like hitting some ball, then hit; otherwise, take a single. I think he is batting like a world number one batter, he hits the ball cleanly and has finished games for the side,” Prabhsimran Singh said in the same clip.

Check out the clip below -

Star Sports@StarSportsIndia

The PBKS squad throws full support behind skipper #ShreyasIyer as they gear up for a high-stakes clash against MI, with a spot in the final vs RCB on the line 🤯 Will PBKS lift their first IPL trophy under Iyer’s leadership? 🤔 #IPLPlayoffs 👉 QUALIFIER 2 | #PBKSvMI | SUN, 1st

10:30 AM · Jun 01, 2025

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Can Shreyas Iyer win back-to-back titles?

Shreyas Iyer had a prolific season last year as he led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title. There will be a huge record that will be set by Iyer if he goes on to lift the trophy this season. Not only will he be the third IPL skipper to win back-to-back titles, but also the only IPL skipper to win back-to-back trophies with two different franchises.