After leading Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title in 2024, Shreyas Iyer embarks on a new journey. He re-joins forces with former Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting at Punjab Kings for IPL 2025.
Shreyas has worked with Ponting previously at the Capitals and took them to the final in 2020. The former KKR captain, Shreyas, was roped in by the Kings for a brief record sum of 26.75 crore, which was breached a little later by Rishabh Pant's bid of 27 crore.?
Being on such high in IPL now, Shreyas has recalled his early days in cricket. "I grew up playing street cricket in my area, and at that time, I was playing for Mumbai's U-14 team. All the kids from the Mumbai squad were assigned to be ball boys, and it was my first experience of IPL up close," Shreyas said in an interaction on JioHotstar on the 'Superstars' programme.
Shreyas revealed his favourite player of that era. "I remember being shy and reserved, but I was lucky to be one of them. With my friends approaching players, I felt left out and decided to try too. Ross Taylor was one of my favourite players back then, so I went up to him and said, 'Sir, I am a big fan of yours.' He was very sweet and thanked me. Back then, it was common to ask for a bat or gloves, but I was too shy to ask, even though I really wanted to," he added.
Shreyas recalled his meeting with former India cricketer and ex-Punjab all-rounder Irfan Pathan. "I vividly remember Irfan Pathan standing at long-on. He sat next to us and asked if we were enjoying the match. We told him we were having a lot of fun and were thrilled to see him. At that time, Irfan bhai was very popular, and the Punjab team had some of the most good-looking boys, including Yuvi Pa (Yuvraj Singh). It's a memory that has stayed with me even after so many years," he said.