New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): Shreyas Iyer spoke about his goal as Punjab Kings captain, Iyer who took Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the glory of Indian Premier League (IPL) last year was released by by KKR ahead of IPL 2025. Speaking to Jio Hotstar, Iyer said he is ready to lead his new team Punjab Kings this season, he expressed his desire to win the IPL title for Punjab.

He said from the moment he was picked by Punjab in the auction his vision was clear that Punjab had not won the IPL title yet, he wants to lift the trophy for them. He felt it would be a historic achievement for Punjab Kings and he wants to give Punjab Kings fans a reason to celebrate, Shreyas Iyer on Jio Hotstar.

'From the moment I was picked in the auction, my desire has been clear--Punjab Kings haven't won the IPL yet, and my goal is to lift the trophy for them. That would be a historic achievement, and I want to make the fans happy and give them a reason to celebrate. A Punjabi celebration at the end of the season would be something special!' Shreyas Iyer on Jio Hotstar.

Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third title and first in 10 years last year and also led Delhi Capitals to the finals, will be aiming to replicate the same magic with PBKS when they kickstart their campaign against Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 25.

Iyer shared his thoughts on commentary in regional languages, he said we all enjoy these regional languages, and he told about his starting days in cricket where he used to talk in his language in the dressing room. He also said that Mumbai has different names for shots and in different regions people have their names for shots.

'We do enjoy it. When we started playing cricket, we used to talk in our languages in the dressing room. In Mumbai, we even have different names for shots. In different regions, people have their way of describing how a shot was played. When we hear it for the first time, it's a bit of a culture shock--like, wow, these are the words used in cricket! As you progress to the international level, you get to learn about these different expressions.' he added.

Since his debut in 2015, Iyer has scored 3,127 runs at an average of 32.23, with a strike rate of 127.47, with 21 fifties. His best score is 96. During his first season in 2015 with Delhi Capitals, he won the 'Emerging Player' award for scoring 439 runs in 14 matches at an average of 33.77, with four fifties. In 2018, Iyer got his first taste of captaincy with DC and in 2020, he led the team to the finals, where they lost to Mumbai Indians (MI). In 2022, he was moved to KKR and he won the 2024 season with them under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir. (ANI)