Shreyas Iyer entered an elite list in IPL history on Sunday after becoming only the fifth player to captain a side in 100 matches in the tournament.The milestone came during Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.Before Iyer, only MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had reached the 100-match mark as IPL captains.The 31-year-old has captained three franchises in the league — Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings.Iyer first became captain of Delhi Capitals in 2018 and led the team in 41 matches. Under him, Delhi reached their first IPL final in 2020.He later moved to KKR and captained the side in 29 matches between 2022 and 2024. In 2024, he guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title.His stint with Punjab Kings has already brought a final appearance, in IPL 2025, making Iyer the only captain in IPL history to lead three different teams into the tournament final.Before Sunday’s game, Iyer had recorded 56 wins as captain, including two Super Over victories, and 40 defeats. Three matches ended without a result.His win percentage in completed matches stands at 58.3 percent, level with Dhoni for the best success rate among IPL captains.The record adds another chapter to Iyer’s captaincy journey across different franchises and squads in the IPL.In the match, Punjab Kings (PBKS) decided to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).After winning the toss, PBKS skipper Iyer 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.”PBKS made a couple of changes in their playing XI for this match as they brought Harpreet Brar and Lockie Ferguson in place of Xavier Bartlett and Marco Jansen.Jitesh Sharma is leading RCB in today’s match in the full-time captain Rajt Patidar’s absence.Punjab Kings’ campaign this season has also seen sharp swings in form. The team began IPL 2026 with a seven-match unbeaten run that included six wins and one washed-out game. However, five straight defeats later in the season pushed their playoff hopes into danger.Even so, Iyer’s rise as a captain has continued steadily in the IPL. From helping Delhi Capitals become contenders to leading KKR to a title and now trying to revive Punjab Kings’ campaign, he has built a strong record as captain across teams.At the top of the all-time IPL captaincy list remains Dhoni, who led Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant in 235 matches between 2008 and 2025.
