Irfan Pathan has rated Shreyas Iyer as one of the best captains in the IPL history. The former India allrounder said the Punjab Kings can surpass legends like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, if he wins another IPL title with a different franchise.
Pathan highlighted how Shreyas has managed to lead remarkably well and has achieved no other captain has achieved in the tournament’s history-by leading three different teams to IPL finals.
“Shreyas Iyer, who has taken three franchises to the final and won it with KKR. One more trophy; if he wins it with Punjab, he will surpass everyone,” Pathan said on JioHotstar.
Pathan pointed out why Shreyas has to be one of the best captains in the IPL because he adapted brilliantly to different team cultures, setup and mindset, while leading them to the finals.
“On that list of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir, I feel Shreyas Iyer has to be right up there among the best captains. It is not easy to take three different franchises to the finals. Each franchise is different; their culture, setup, and their mindset is completely different. To adjust to those things and then lead the way forward is not easy. No one has ever done it,” Pathan added.
Pathan also compared Shreyas with some of the IPL’s most successful captains. He pointed out that Dhoni, Rohit and Gambhir won their IPL titles while leading the same franchise.
“MS Dhoni won all five trophies with CSK, and it is not that he has not played for any other franchise. Similarly, Rohit Sharma has won all his trophies as captain with MI, and Gautam Gambhir did it for KKR in those two seasons,” he said.
Shreyas had led Delhi Capitals to their first-ever IPL final in 2020 and later guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the title in 2024, ending the franchise’s long wait for a trophy. He continued his strong run as captain by taking Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final in his very first season with the team, though they eventually lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final.
PBKS had a dream start to the IPL 2026 season with six wins from seven matches and look good to make it to the playoffs despite their three straight losses recently.
