Former Indian opener Abhinav Mukund has predicted that Shreyas Iyer will be the best captain of IPL 2026. Iyer led Punjab Kings to the final in IPL 2025 but they could not cross the last hurdle against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, suffering a six-run loss in the summit clash.
The Mumbai batter was able to lead from the front, scoring 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07. Furthermore, Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to glory in IPL 2024 whereas Delhi Capitals ended the 2020 season as runners-up under his captaincy.
Thus, Iyer has an impressive captaincy record in the IPL and there is no doubt that he is one of the best leaders in the last five years in the tournament.
Abhinav Mukund said on ESPN Cricinfo, “I think he’s my choice for best captain in the league this year. I really like his tactics as captain, his clarity, and obviously with the bat… Personal favorite captain of mine is Shreyas Iyer.”
On the other hand, former South African captain Faf du Plessis backed Shreyas Iyer to have another good season with the bat.
“When I was playing against him, you felt like fast, short-pitched bowling was the area that was such a weakness of his game. Yes, he was super strong on the rest, but he was very limited in the high pace bounce area. Last season, I could see, there was a real improvement in his game, much better on the short ball and he had an unbelievable season. So I’m going, yes, he’s going to back it up.”
Meanwhile, Mitchell Owen replaced Glenn Maxwell in the previous season. Faf said the Australian all-rounder is a good addition to PBKS’ squad.
He added, “It’s a good buy for them. He gives you something with a ball as well. Very underrated bowler. He comes on to bowl and you think this guy is just a medium pacer. But, he knows what he’s doing. I think it’s a nice add on to them. And it’s almost like a like-for-like for Inglis at the top of the order. It will be interesting to see how he fits in the balance of the side.”
Punjab Kings will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Gujarat Titans at Mullanpur on 31st March.
