Captain Shreyas Iyer slammed a match-winning century to guide Punjab Kings to an emphatic five-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 match in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Shreyas created history as he became the only captain to lead three teams -- Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings -- to the IPL final.
The 30-year-old skipper has consistently excelled with the bat in knockout matches in white ball cricket across formats. Overall in T20 cricket in 17 matches played for state side Mumbai, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, Shreyas has scored 517 runs at an impressive strike rate of 145.22, while hitting four fifties.
In the IPL playoff games, he boasts of a superb record of 303 runs in 11 innings at a healthy strike rate of 142.92, averaging 50.50, with three fifties.
Shreyas' key performances in knockout games in T20 cricket overall:
- Shreyas stroked 65 from 50 balls in the IPL 2020 final for Delhi Capitals against Mumbai Indians. After a top-order collapse triggered by Trent Boult left DC reeling on 22/3, he put on a crucial 96-run stand partnership with Rishabh Pant to rally his team to 156/7 in 20 overs, which was chased down by MI with eight balls and five wickets left.
- Shreyas slammed a brilliant 77 from 44 balls against Saurashtra in the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-finals. Chasing 167 for victory, Mumbai find themselves in trouble on 74/3 in the ninth over after Ajinkya Rahane, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prithvi Shaw perished early. He came up with vital knock of 34 from 26 balls in the final against Himachal Pradesh, coming in at 28/2, helping Mumbai chase down 144 set with three wickets and three balls to go to win their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title.
- He hit a quickfire 58 from 24 balls, with four sixes and five sixes, to help KKR chase down 160 with ease, outclassing Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets with 38 balls remaining.
Shreyas has also been a consistent performer for India in white ball cricket. In ODIs, Shreyas has been both the aggressor who puts the pressure on bowlers and someone who calmly soaks in any incoming pressure. In four knockout matches for India in 50-ball cricket, he has scored 202 runs at an average of 50.50, with a strike rate of 102.53. He holds the record for the fastest-ever century in an ODI World Cup knockout match.
Some of his notable knocks for India in knockout games in ODIs:
- Shreyas dominated with a blistering innings of 105 from 70 balls, having hit eight sixes and four boundaries, against New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup at his home ground at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Putting together a 163-run stand with Virat Kohli, who made history with an unprecedented 50th century in ODIs, Shreyas also got a slice of history attached to his name as he slammed the fastest-ever century in a World Cup knockout game, coming in 67 balls. He also overtook New Zealand batter Scott Styris' tally of 499 runs in 2007 World Cup for the most runs scored in the World Cup by a middle-order batter. Posting 397/4, Iyer and Kohli outbatted a valiant New Zealand, who fell short by 70 runs. His takedown of spin, particularly Rachin Ravindra, made a difference.
- With India in a spot bother at 43/2 while chasing a competitive 265 against Australia in semi-final of 2025 Champions Trophy, Shreyas added a 91-run stand with Kohli, scoring a crucial 62-ball 45 with three fours, to put his team on course for victory.
- He played another vital innings in the 2025 Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai. India lost Shubman Gill, Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma after a fine start to be reduced to 122/3 while chasing 252. However, Shreyas took the game away from the Kiwis in the middle overs as he scored a composed 48 from 62 balls, putting on a 61-run stand with No 5 Axar Patel and his neatly-compiled to lay down the platform for icy finishes from K L Rahul and Hardik Pandya and seal India's second white-ball title in less than an year.
Overall, in 21 knockout matches in white ball cricket, Shreyas has tallied 719 at an average of 44.93 in 21 innings, staying unbeaten five times. He has also registered a century and four half-centuries, with the best score of 105.
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