 "Shreyas Iyer reveals he was 'gobsmacked' by PBKS' humongous bid in IPL 2025 mega auction")
Shreyas Iyer had briefly become the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history after Punjab Kings (PBKS) acquired him for Rs 26.75 crore in the mega auction that took place in November. The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper, was eventually relegated to the second spot by his former DC teammate Rishabh Pant, who was sold to Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore .
Reacting to the fortune that perennial strugglers PBKS shelled out at the mega auction in Jeddah, Iyer revealed that he was “gobsmacked” and “dumbstruck” after seeing his bid cross that of Australian pacer Mitchell Starc , who had been acquired for Rs 24.75 crore by KKR in the 2024 auction in Dubai.
Also Read | Complete list of sold and unsold players from two-day IPL mega auction
“I was absolutely gobsmacked. I wasn’t expecting that amount, but I was expecting somewhere around that amount. So once [the bidding] crossed a certain point, I was covering my ears with cotton and I just didn’t want to stay in front of the TV. I went to the washroom. I was in Hyderabad at that point of time, playing Syed Mushtaq Ali (Iyer was Mumbai captain). Yeah, I was dumbstruck,” Iyer, who was named Punjab Kings captain on Sunday , told ESPNCricinfo.
The middle-order batter had joined an elite list of IPL-winning captains last year, with the ‘Purple Brigade’ topping the table at the end of the league stage before defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1 as well as the final, winning both games by identical margins of eight wickets.
Before that, Iyer had nearly helped DC win their maiden title in the 2020 season that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was ultimately staged in the UAE. The Capitals lost to Mumbai Indians in the final in Dubai that year.
Iyer, who will be reuniting with former DC head coach Ricky Ponting at PBKS this year, believes it’s his obsession with winning that has helped him become only the eighth player – and the fifth Indian – to captain an IPL franchise to victory.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“It’s a proud feeling to be one of the eight guys. The journey has been like a rollercoaster ride, it has never been easy. I’m someone who believes thoroughly in winning all the time. I hate losing, personally, and I think that’s what has elevated me to where I am right now as a captain,” added Iyer, who will be hoping to end PBKS’ 17-year drought for a maiden title in the 18th season that takes place later this year.
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