Shreyas Iyer not yet spoken of in the same breath as Virat Kohli, but when it comes to hunting down targets...

What started off as a frustrating, windy, wet Sunday night culminated in a thrilling, historic, dramatic Monday morning as the Indian Premier League was guaranteed a first-time champion for the first time since 2022. The man who made it possible answered to the name of Shreyas Iyer, the Punjab Kings batter and skipper who is fast hurtling towards establishing himself as one of the more influential figures in IPL history. Shreyas Iyer's chase last night in Ahmedabad had shades of Virat Kohli's peak.(PTI)

The classy right-hander became the first captain to lead two different franchises to the title round, 12 months after piloting Kolkata Knight Riders to their third crown. On Tuesday, as he leads his troops out against red-hot Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he will fancy his chances of emerging as the first man to lead two franchises to the ultimate prize. On current form, not to mention hunger, ambition and hurt pride, you can only discount that at your own peril, no matter how intimidating and well-rounded Rajat Patidar’s outfit might appear.

Sunday was the first time in 18 seasons (and 19 attempts) that Mumbai Indians failed to successfully defend a total of more than 200. It was the first time Jasprit Bumrah conceded 20 – rub your eyes, read it again and nothing would have changed – in his opening over. But it wasn’t the first time Shreyas showcased his magical skills, not the first time he had taken it upon himself to shepherd a batting unit full of uncapped Indians who more than pulled their weight at various stages of the tournament.

Priyansh Arya. Prabhsimran Singh. Nehal Wadhera. Shashank Singh. These are the primary Indian batting resources at Shreyas’ disposal. They don’t wear the same intimidating look as Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, for instance. But T20 cricket isn’t about just names and pedigree and reputation. Every three-and-a-half-hour chunk allows for multiple heroes to burst forth, to go from relative anonymity to the toast of millions (especially if one is 14, like Vaibhav Suryavanshi). Shreyas was anything but anonymous even prior to his unbeaten 87, 41 balls, five fours and eight towering sixes. Now, the legend of Shreyas has taken firmer shape.

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Shreyas Iyer, the new chase master?

Had he been watching in his hotel room, Virat Kohli would have nodded in appreciation, doffed an imaginary hat to the Mumbaikar who dashed the title aspirations of the franchise based in the city of his birth. He would have recognised the class and the craft and the calmness and the composure of the rangy right-hander, he would have potentially seen a little of himself in the poise and the steely-eyed determination of the man who, at No. 4, had masterminded many a tricky run-chase during the Champions Trophy in Dubai in February-March when Kohli had occupied the No. 3 position. Shreyas may not, yet, be spoken of in the same breath as Kohli when it comes to hunting down targets in white-ball cricket – who can be, really, given the volume of work of the former India captain? – but he is getting there, don’t worry about it.

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Shreyas was at his subliminal best on Sunday night (let’s stick to that, never mind when his magic came to fruition). At stake was a place in the final, true, but also redemption. Three nights previously, his team had been bundled out for 101 by Josh Hazlewood-fuelled RCB in Qualifier 1, the skipper himself victim to an atrocious hoick against the magnificent Aussie. If Punjab Kings had to make amends, the captain had to be in the forefront. And boy, was he!

The second ball he faced, from Ashwani Kumar, was short and angling away. With affected nonchalance, Shreyas wristed it away over square-leg for four. Short ball? Bring it on, he seemed to say.

Eight sixes might suggest violence, but that wasn’t the case. Shreyas was poetry in motion, fluid elegance, with a pronounced focus on timing, not brutality. The ball pinged off his bat, scattering the Ahmedabad faithfuls. Pandya was clueless, Mumbai Indians ragged, unrecognisable as five-time former champions. Shreyas Iyer can do that, you know.

Shreyas Iyer coming for Tests

Why is Shreyas not in the Test party to England? Good question. The last of his 14 Tests came in February 2024, after which he was put out to pasture. His experience and leadership would have come in handy as India brace for Test-life after Rohit and Kohli, especially now that he seems to have dumped several of his issues with the short ball. A testy Gautam Gambhir brushed off Shreyas’ non-inclusion by insisting he ‘wasn’t a selector’. Nice.

Shreyas can’t control that aspect. What he can, is attitude, approach and effort. His and his team’s, as they target the pot of gold at the end of the IPL rainbow on Tuesday night. Bravo.

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