Shreyas Iyer's ‘aura will not change overnight’ even if he wins IPL with Punjab Kings: ‘Unlike Dhoni, Rohit, Kohli…’

After winning the IPL 2024 season with KKR, Shreyas was released by the franchise, and he was not even given credit for his captaincy, as the bulk of the laurels went to the then-mentor Gautam Gambhir. Many people believe that Shreyas would become the toast of the town if he managed to win the IPL with another franchise; however, Chopra doesn't think so.

The former India opener reckons that the aura around Shreyas will only change if he manages to regain his place in India's T20I playing XI and somehow leads the team in the next World Cup in 2028.

“If he stakes a claim to that spot, scores runs, which is the first criterion, takes his team to the playoffs, the final, or wins the trophy, and somehow becomes India’s T20I Captain in the near future, whether in 12 months or by the next World Cup, then everything will change. He could even become a World Cup-winning captain for India, and that aura is different. Then he would not need any endorsement from anyone,” he added.

The Gautam Gambhir effect

Chopra also said that the main reason Shreyas did not receive the deserved applause for the 2024 win with KKR was Gambhir's presence in the dugout. It is worth noting that it was after the 2024 triumph that Gambhir was named the head coach of the India senior men's team across formats.

“I think his contribution as a leader got diluted a bit in the narrative that’s often set by people who are not a part of the team. Two things happened at KKR with Shreyas Iyer. He was in a setup where the coach was also a very strong and popular personality. That wasn’t the case with MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma, or even Virat Kohli at RCB, where there wasn’t such a dominant figure outside calling the shots," said Chopra.

“Here, you had Gautam Gambhir, a very successful player and a very good mentor. The others, MS, Rohit and Kohli, have been India Captains for a significant period and very successful ones. Credit is already given to them on a platter. In Shreyas’ case, he is not an Indian captain. But he is now getting his due, because he is doing so well,” he added.

The IPL 2026 season will begin on March 28. Punjab will play their first match on March 31 against the Gujarat Titans. The upcoming T20 tournament will mark Shreyas' return to competitive cricket following the career-threatening injury he endured in the third and final ODI against Australia in Sydney last year.

Click here to read article