Shreyas Iyer embraces ‘Sarpanch’ tag, eyes IPL title with Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer says he enjoys the ‘Sarpanch’ tag and is focused on staying present as his team pushes for the IPL title. He emphasised teamwork, player inputs, and maintaining pressure in key match situations.

Hyderabad: Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, who is having a dream run in the on-going IPL both with the bat and as a leader, says he enjoys the title of ‘Sarpanch’ and he loves it.

“I was clueless at the start of my journey with Punjab Kings about how the ‘Sarpanch’ tag came up and what it meant. But later, when I asked a couple of my teammates, they explained that ‘Sarpanch’ means the head of a family, a group, or even a district. That gave me clarity, and from there onwards, my journey started,” Shreyas Iyer said.

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“The mission, obviously, is to lift the trophy. But I always feel that the more you stay in the present, the more you stay in control of what is in your hands at that moment and you just have to go full throttle,” the Punjab Kings captain said.

“You don’t have to think too far ahead or dwell on the past. I reiterate the same point to my teammates as well, that when we are out there, we are playing for ourselves, not against the opponents. We just want to improve each day and make sure we put our best foot forward. When everything comes together and that synergy builds, everything falls into place,” he said.

On Arshdeep Singh’s advice to bring Vijaykumar Vyshak as an impact player in that game, Shreyas Iyer said: “When you are on the ground, every individual is involved in the game, and everyone’s inputs matter in that situation. When bowlers come and say they can execute a certain plan, it’s important to back them because their instincts can be strong as well.”

“ At the same time, there are situations when they run out of ideas and ask what they should do, and that’s when I step in and provide input. It goes hand in hand, it’s not like I always dictate terms. Even in team meetings, players come up with solid points, and you have to value what they bring,” he said.

“We had discussed bowling wide yorkers to Rutherford because wherever else we pitched, he was going bonkers. The plan worked, and Vyshak ended up being the hero in that game,” Shreyas Iyer said.

On that KKR match in IPL 2025 and defending 111 when they were 62/2 in the run-chase, Shreyas said: ““As soon as we got two wickets, they stitched together a solid partnership. I wanted them to feel a bit of pressure, so with close-in fielders, I tried to make them feel like we were right in their face.”

“The idea was to push them into doing something extra or playing a shot that wasn’t necessary, and that worked well. I made the field more attacking when a new batter came in, and they tried to play improvisational shots, like Ramandeep playing the sweep earlier. Credit goes to the bowlers as well, they were very consistent with their lines and lengths and had an attacking mindset,” he said.

“I keep telling them in every game that it’s not over until the last ball is bowled or the last run is scored. You never give up, you fight till the end. We’ve seen so many matches where consistent wickets create pressure on the opposition,” Shreyas Iyer said.