Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer opened up on his 'Sarpanch Sahab' nickname, which he received since joining the franchise, saying that fans now commonly refer to him by this moniker.
Shreyas has a chance to immortalise his name as the true 'Sarpanch' (village head) as he aims to lead Punjab Kings' to their maiden IPL title, when they clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Speaking about the nickname, Shreyas stated: "I seriously have no idea about it. I have got no clue how I got this name, but I am sure it came from the management. They gave me this tag, and it has been tagged along."
"So wherever I go in Punjab right now, in Chandigarh, whenever I get out of the hotel, they're like, 'Sarpanch Sahab,
"A lot of incidents have happened. But I remember this incident where we were just coming back from the ground in our Innova. So, we were stopped at the signal, and there was this car filled with five guys. They saw me sitting in the car, and they were like, 'Sarpanch Sahab, if you win this year, we will build a road here in your name'," he said in the video posted by Punjab Kings on X.
Shreyas has already created history as the only captain to lead three teams -- Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings -- to the IPL final.
A victory in the final would further cement his legacy, making him the first captain to win the IPL title in back-to-back years with two different teams.
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