How Sarpanch Shreyas joined the India captaincy race this IPL

What has been the most staggering takeaway of this IPL season? According to one of Indian cricket's influential decision-makers it has been the emergence of Shreyas lyer, the leader.

- GNS News Agency

On the eve of the final, gazing well beyond the RCB vs Punjab Kings title clash, the official would say: “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.” Welcome to Indian cricket, where one exceptional IPL can alter opinions and change perspectives. At the start of 2024, Shreyas didn’t have BCCI's central contract. That same year, he wasn't among the 15 picked for the T20 World Cup, not even among the 4 standbyes. His dreadful 2024 would wrap up with KKR refusing to retain him - the defending IPL champions shockingly putting their winning captain on sale at the auction.

Subsequently, at Punjab Kings, Shreyas would find a new home, and a lot more. A swagger, aura and one delightfully North Indian term of endearment - to name a few. His famous gangsta walk with subtle head turns and shoulder shuffles, the reassuring non-plussed presence during crunch situations made his teammates call him Sarpanch Sahab - the village headman.

Till that Mumbai Indians Eliminator, where Shreyas played the knock of his life - some are calling it IPL’s best-ever - the Punjab Kings captain had been having a reasonably successful season. He had runs, nothing new there, but now there were whispers of him exuding authority even when he didn’t have a bat in hand. A puppet in the hands of his coach Gautam Gambhir at KKR and now Ricky Ponting. All that sounds so ancient and utterly preposterous now. That night at Ahmedabad, Shreyas would shake off that rumour of him being a remote-control captain for good. At the world’s biggest cricket stadium he led by example. There were a couple of incidents from that game that announced his big league arrival.