Shreyas Iyer Makes Bold ‘IPL’ Remark After Champions Trophy 2025 Victory: “Didn’t Get…”

It has been a rollercoaster journey for Shreyas Iyer since 2024. The Indian cricket team batter was left out of the BCCI central contracts but went on to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title with Kolkata Knight Riders. Shreyas also proved his mettle in domestic cricket before playing a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. Following the triumph, Shreyas opened up about his road to redemption but expressed disappointment over not receiving enough recognition for leading KKR to the IPL title. Shreyas was not retained ahead of the new season and was ultimately bought by Punjab Kings for a massive Rs 26.75 crore. He will be leading the franchise in the upcoming IPL 2025.

“I wasn’t frustrated because I was playing IPL. The main focus was to win the IPL, and thankfully, I won it. I personally felt I didn’t get the recognition I wanted after winning the IPL, but at the end of the day, as long as you have self-integrity and keep doing the right things when no one is watching, that is more important, and that is what I kept doing,” Shreyas Iyer told Times of India.

Shreyas had a strong performance in the Champions Trophy, scoring 243 runs from 5 innings.

“When I talk about recognition, it’s about getting that respect for the efforts I put on the field. I think sometimes it goes unnoticed, but I’m extremely satisfied with the efforts I put in because those weren’t easy wickets to bat on,” Shreyas Iyer said.

“It wasn’t easy to take singles, especially when the bowlers were bowling so tight. I just had the belief in myself that once I hit two sixes here or there, I could change the momentum in our favor. Luckily, I got them at crucial times,” he added.

1983 World Cup winner Dilip Vengsarkar, who has also been a BCCI chief selector, couldn’t be more pleased for the middle-order batter.

“Iyer did very well, but I’m not happy with the way he got out in the final. He should have continued till the very end and finished the game. But I’m happy to see him realize his potential. KL Rahul also played a few important innings at number six, but I’m still not convinced about Axar Patel batting ahead of him at five. The left-hand right-hand combination could be the only reason,” he said.

With PTI inputs