"Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are great captains, but they played with only 1 army" - Navjot Sidhu lauds Shreyas Iyer after IPL 2025 Qualifier 2

Former India player Navjot Singh Sidhu has lauded Shreyas Iyer for leading multiple franchises to Indian Premier League (IPL) finals. He pointed out that five-time IPL-winning captains, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, have achieved the distinction with only one franchise.

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat the Mumbai Indians (MI) by five wickets in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday, June 1. PBKS chased a 204-run target down with an over to spare to book a berth in the final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the same venue on June 3.

Reviewing the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 on Star Sports, Sidhu highlighted Shreyas' unique accomplishments as skipper.

"Why is Shreyas Iyer the best? He took Delhi to the playoffs after seven years. He took Delhi to the final after 13 years. He won the Kolkata Knight Riders a final after 10 years. He took Punjab into the playoffs and the final after 11 years. This is not an accident. This is not a coincidence," he said.

"Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are great captains, but they played with only one army. They didn't do this. They didn't make a team from scratch with ordinary guys, and beat the lions in their own den. The entire world was on one side. However, the Punjabi passion won," the former India opener added.

Shreyas Iyer had captained the Delhi Capitals (DC) to the IPL 2020 final. He led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL 2024 trophy, but was neither retained nor reacquired by the franchise.

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"This guy did it single-handedly like a one-man army" - Navjot Sidhu on Shreyas Iyer's knock in PBKS' IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 win vs MI

Shreyas Iyer scored a blazing unbeaten half-century in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Navjot Singh Sidhu noted that Shreyas Iyer led from the front with a belligerent unbeaten 87 off 41 deliveries in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2.

"A captain is one who leads from the front. The three sixes he hit off Reece Topley's bowling, and after that, sixes were raining. This guy did it single-handedly like a one-man army. Don't forget Ricky Ponting. This is Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya's pairing," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Shreyas and Ricky Ponting are together responsible for the Punjab Kings' turnaround.

"Ricky Ponting won Rohit Sharma his first IPL trophy in 2013. So I feel it's this captain-coach duo because the players are the same, but to instill spirit in those players, make them realize that they belong to this arena, and that they are the best among the rest, it can only happen with this kind of leadership," Sidhu observed.

To conclude, Navjot Singh Sidhu highlighted that he has just one unfulfilled wish. He noted that if it had been up to him, Shreyas Iyer would have been a part of the Indian Test squad for the upcoming tour of England.