Shreyas Iyer joined an exclusive group in IPL history on Sunday, becoming only the fifth captain to reach the landmark of 100 matches as a skipper in the tournament. The achievement arrived during Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 encounter with Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, where Iyer steered his side through another high-pressure chapter of his leadership journey.
Before Iyer, just MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had managed to compile 100 or more IPL matches as captains. The 31-year-old has worn the captain’s armband for three different franchises across the league—Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings—making his rise even more notable given the different squads and team dynamics he has had to adapt to.
Iyer first took charge of Delhi Capitals in 2018 and led the team in 41 matches, a stint that included Delhi reaching their maiden IPL final in 2020 under his guidance. He then moved to Kolkata Knight Riders, where he captained the franchise across 29 matches from 2022 to 2024. In 2024, his leadership culminated in KKR lifting the IPL trophy, adding a title to his captaincy résumé.
His time with Punjab Kings has already delivered a further milestone as well. In IPL 2025, Iyer guided the team to a final appearance, and in doing so he became the only captain in IPL history to take three different sides to the tournament final. That puts his 100th game in Sunday’s match in perspective—not just as a personal number, but as another step in a pattern of consistently strong results.
Heading into the game, Iyer had recorded 56 victories as captain, including two wins that came via Super Over. He had also suffered 40 defeats, with three matches ending without a result. Looking at completed fixtures, his win percentage stood at 58.3%, which is level with Dhoni’s mark—the best success rate among IPL captains—underscoring how effective his decision-making has been even in tight contests.
On the day, Punjab Kings opted to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru after Iyer won the toss. Speaking to the team before the innings, he said: “We’re going to bowl. I’m not going by the stats; we’re clearly seeing how the games pan out. If we bat and bowl well, the toss doesn’t matter. I didn’t know that it was my 100th game as captain, but I’ll be happy if we win. We’ve been bowling fantastically, but we need to enjoy the pressure. Brar and Lockie come in.”
Punjab made a couple of changes to their playing XI for the match, bringing Harpreet Brar and Lockie Ferguson into the side in place of Xavier Bartlett and Marco Jansen. On the Royal Challengers Bengaluru front, Jitesh Sharma captained the team for the match, with Rajat Patidar absent from the lineup.
Punjab Kings’ season narrative has been a roller-coaster. They started IPL 2026 with a run of seven matches unbeaten, including six wins and one washed-out game. However, once the momentum slipped, the team lost five games in a row, leaving their playoff chances hanging by a thread. Even with those swings in form, Iyer’s captaincy has continued to grow in stature—moving Delhi into contention, leading KKR to a title, and now tasked with trying to steady Punjab’s campaign.
With his 100th match now secured, Iyer’s journey adds yet another line to one of the most competitive captaincy landscapes in the league. Still, Dhoni tops the all-time chart for IPL captaincy appearances, leading Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant across 235 matches from 2008 to 2025.
As the tournament continues to unfold, fans will be watching closely for how Iyer’s leadership shapes Punjab’s fortunes from here—while keeping an eye on the latest IPL Live Score updates, match news, the IPL schedule, and the race for the IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.
