Shreyas Iyer has scripted a remarkable turnaround since being excluded from the BCCI’s central contracts list last year, with reports from June 7 saying he could be in line for the India white-ball captaincy. Here's a timeline of his journey back to prominence.
February 2024: Left out of BCCI central contract list
Iyer was left out of the BCCI’s contract for India Senior Men for the 2023-24 season alongside Ishan Kishan. This came after the BCCI chair, Jay Shah, issued a directive for international players to not prioritise IPL over national duties and domestic cricket. Iyer was expected to play Mumbai's Ranji Trophy quarter-final match against Baroda, but he sat out, citing back pain.
Nitin Patel, the head of sports science and medicine at the National Cricket Academy, however, refuted Iyer’s claims at the time, stating he was "fit and available for selection".
May 2024: Leads KKR to third IPL title
After being picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2022 mega-auction for INR 12.25 crore, Iyer missed the entire 2023 season due to injury. 2024 was the turnaround season for him, when he led KKR to their first title in 10 years. Iyer finished the season with 351 runs at an average of 37 and a strike-rate of 146.86.
October 2024: Iyer ends three-year red-ball century drought
Iyer hit his first red-ball hundred in three years – a 190-ball 142 on day two of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Maharashtra. It was his first first-class hundred since the 105 he scored against New Zealand in November 2021 on Test debut.
October 2024: KKR and Iyer part ways
Iyer was not part of the six-player retention list announced by KKR ahead of the auction. KKR CEO Venky Mysore revealed that while KKR were interested in retaining their title-winning captain, Iyer wanted to go to the auction to test his market value. The franchise attempted to bid for Iyer in the 2025 mega-auction but dropped out of the bidding at INR 10 crore. Punjab Kings, eventually, bought him for INR 26.75 crore, making him the second-most expensive player in the history of the IPL.
November 2024: Hits career-best Ranji double century after BGT snub
Against Odisha in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, Iyer converted his second consecutive hundred into a double ton. After reaching his century off 101 balls, Iyer ended with a 228-ball 233, his highest score. This was his third double century and his first since 2017, when he was playing for India A against a touring Australian side.
December 2024: Leads Mumbai to their second SMAT title
Mumbai won their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in three years under the leadership of Iyer. He led from the front with 345 runs at 49.28 and 188.52, including a century and a fifty. For a cut-off of 300 runs, only Gujarat’s Urvil Patel had scored at a better strike-rate – 229.92.
February 2025: Shines in much-awaited international comeback
Returning to the Indian team after a six-month hiatus for the ODI series against England, Shreyas Iyer wasn’t a guaranteed starter. However, Virat Kohli’s knee injury opened the door for his recall. Seizing the opportunity, Iyer solidified his comeback with middle-order scores of 59, 44, and 78, marking a triumphant return to international cricket.
March 2025: Champions Trophy success cements re-emergence
India lifted their second consecutive ICC title, having won the T20 World Cup last year after a long trophy drought. Iyer played a pivotal role in it, much like his exploits in India’s runners-up finish in the 2023 ODI World Cup. His scores in the tournament read 15, 56, 79, 45 and 48.
Also read: How Shreyas Iyer redesigned his technique for the short ball – and how quicks can challenge him
April 2025: Returns to BCCI central contract list
He was among the 34 players awarded a BCCI central contract for the 2024-25 season. He returned to Grade B contract, running between October 2024 and September 2025.
June 2025: Leads Punjab Kings to IPL final
Iyer guided Punjab Kings to their first IPL final since 2014, though they fell to eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In doing so, he became only the third captain after Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni to lead in three IPL finals, achieving all three appearances in the last five years. He was also the first to do this with three different teams (Delhi Capitals, KKR and Punjab Kings).
With 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, Iyer finished as PBKS' highest run-scorer in the tournament.
June 2025: 'Officially' enters the race for India’s captaincy
According to an Indian Express report, Iyer has now “officially” joined the race for India’s white-ball captaincy following his recent exploits across the formats.
"Right now he just plays ODIs, but after this IPL we can’t keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests. Plus, he also has now officially joined the white-ball captaincy race," a BCCI official was quoted as saying to the Indian Express.
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