Driven to win: Iyer at the peak of his prowess

Of the 11 batters to have scored over 500 runs this season, only Nicholas Pooran has batted with a superior strike rate to Shreyas Iyer's 175.80.

- Rasesh Mandani

AHMEDABAD: He may only be sixth on the Orange Cap leaders' board, but does Iyer even care?

The PBKS captain made his disregard for individual glory known in the opening match of the season when he settled for a 97* and watched Shashank Singh strike some lusty blows in the final over.

It would become a headline act because many would have put individual landmarks ahead. Putting the team first is a prerequisite in T20s and Iyer's act would set an early marker on what he thought it would take to have a winning campaign.

Following his glorious takedown of MI bowlers on Sunday, with an 87*(41b) that would go down as the most defining in PBKS's trophyless history, Iyer has guided them to within touching distance of silverware. Personally, Iyer is the only captain to make three finals with three different franchises, Delhi Capitals and KKR being the other two.