IPL 2020: In-form Shreyas Iyer is one of the best in the business and he showed that against KKR

Simply by the virtue of being the captain of a team, Shreyas Iyer is one of the marquee players in the Indian Premier League. In his third season as captain of the Delhi franchise, he is only going from strength to strength. He has repaid the faith shown in him after Gautam Gambhir’s resignation and led Delhi Capitals to the IPL playoffs in 2019.

But there’s more to him this time around. He had scored 874 runs over the last two editions and sealed his place in the Indian middle order. In IPL 2020, he isn’t just a big player because he’s a captain. The 25-year-old has grown in stature because of what he has achieved over the past 14 months.

After being left out of India’s squad for the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, Iyer buckled down to solidify his position as the No 4 batsman for his country in limited-overs cricket. His eight fifties and one century in ODIs and T20Is between August 2019 and February 2020 left many lamenting his absence from last year’s World Cup.

So, Iyer is surely carrying a bigger reputation in this year’s IPL in the United Arab Emirates. And on Saturday against Kolkata Knight Riders, he showed once again that he’s one of the best white-ball players going around in world cricket at the moment.

In the first three matches this season, one of which his team lost, Iyer got starts but couldn’t kick on. Against Kings XI Punjab, he hit a few of his increasingly popular head-down sixes but got deceived by a Mohammed Shami slower-ball and holed out for 39. In the next game against Chennai Super Kings, he got to 26 before attempting a wild slog and edging it to Mahendra Singh Dhoni who took a fine catch.

But the most disappointing dismissal came in the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chasing 163, Delhi Capitals needed their skipper to play anchor but a rash shot from Iyer off Rashid Khan saw him perish for 17 and his side go on to lose by 15 runs.

Which is why against the Knight Riders in Sharjah, Iyer was determined to make a substantial contribution.

Questions were raised when he walked in to bat after Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan had taken DC to 57 at the end of the powerplay. It was a good start but with the first four innings in Sharjah seeing totals in excess of 200, Delhi knew they had to keep pushing hard.

And Iyer didn’t take time to get going.

The first four he hit was a classy straight-drive off Shivam Mavi, which was soon followed by a stunning flick for six off Kamlesh Nagarkoti. But with Shaw (66 off 41) and then Rishabh Pant (38 off 17) also striking it well, Iyer paced his innings brilliantly and timed the assault to perfection.

Delhi were 151/2 at the end of 15 overs, with the skipper batting on 47 off 25. But in the next four overs, Iyer hit top gear and smashed Pat Cummins and Varun Chakravarthy to all corners. He scored 41 runs off the last 13 balls he faced and his acceleration helped DC post a total of 228, which proved to be a bridge too far for KKR.

“It’s a relief getting this knock.” said Iyer after the game. “Got a few starts in the previous games, wanted to convert this one. Just wanted an initial start which I mostly get. And then wanted to accelerate. Hopefully I keep the momentum going. It was really necessary for me to take time at the start which I did in the earlier games as well. Luckily it worked out for me.”

In response to Mark Nicholas saying he is one of the most gifted Indian batsman recently, Iyer added in the post-match interview : “I know the hard work and the smart work I have put in through my gym sessions, so I wouldn’t say I am a very gifted player. We really have a good platform and we have to be insatiable with our work ethics and keep getting better game after game from here on.”

Highlights of Iyer’s knock against KKR:

Delhi Capitals were being looked at as one of the favourites heading into the tournament. In Shaw and Pant, they have two of the most exciting young batting talents from India, and Marcus Stoinis getting runs down the order has added great depth to the lineup. In the bowling department too, they have plenty of variety with the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra.

Now, with the skipper getting a big score under his belt too, DC look like a complete unit. Iyer is a marquee player now, and his performances on the field and words off it indicate he’s hungry to achieve much more.

In a power-packed Delhi Capitals batting line-up, Shreyas Iyer made sure he leads by example.