“He is one of the finest captains” – Former MI player’s massive praise for Shreyas Iyer after IPL 2025 season

Former Mumbai Indians (MI) cricketer and current Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Nehal Wadhera has lauded Shreyas Iyer, calling him one of the finest captains in IPL. The 25-year-old credited the PBKS captain for his ability to switch between roles as captain and batter. He further added that head coach Ricky Ponting has also spoken very highly about Iyer.

Speaking to Taruwar Kohli on his YouTube channel, Wadhera said:

“If Ricky Ponting is saying that currently, India’s best captain is Shreyas, then there is some sort of [special] thing in him. Personally, I also felt that he is one of the finest captains.”

“As a captain, you should forget that while you are batting. I think it fits into his thought. I saw players who start taking time after becoming captains instead of going for fours straightaway. When you try to do something which you haven’t done before, it backfires on you at that time, but it never happened with him,” he added.

Notably, Shreyas Iyer led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL trophy, ending their 10-year drought in 2024. The Mumbai-born player then helped PBKS reach the IPL 2025 final.

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“Maar na, Bindaas Khel. Mai hu na” – Nehal Wadhera credits Shreyas Iyer for backing his players

Nehal Wadhera took an example of what helps Shreyas Iyer stand out from the rest as skipper in IPL. The left-handed batter shared how Iyer backed him to play his natural aggressive game during a Qualifier match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2025. He said in the same interaction:

“Shreyas Iyer also backs the player very well. For example, he knows my game. I remember that game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Qualifier. Trent Boult bowled a full toss on the next delivery of an over, and I took a single. He told me, ‘What are you doing? Why didn’t you hit it for a six?’ I said, Iyer bhai, it was the last ball, so I took the single and we got the run.”

“He replied: ‘What are you doing? I know you can hit it, so better do it.’ I told him why to take the risk. He explained that the ball was in the slot and you would hit for a six nine out of 10 times, ‘Maar na, Bindaas khel. Mai hu yahan' (Hit it, play it cool, I am here),” he added.

Notably, Nehal Wadhera had a breakthrough IPL 2025 season, amassing 369 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 145.84, including two half-centuries.