New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed confidence that Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer can replicate his impressive form from the IPL 2025 season, highlighting the middle-order batter’s proven ability in both franchise and international cricket.

The team had a stellar run in the previous edition under Iyer’s leadership as they finished runners up. Ahead of IPL 2026, PBKS retained their core group and made some smart buys in Australians Cooper Connolly and Ben Dwarshuis at the auction table.

Pathan believes that Iyer is a ‘proven cricketer’ and has a shot at making it to India’s T20I setup.

“I'm not sure that Shreyas Iyer would be thinking of using the IPL as a stage to prove himself for a comeback into the T20I side. Shreyas Iyer is a proven cricketer. He's done really well in T20 cricket for Punjab Kings, yes, a different franchise, and he's done really well for Team India as well. He's a very important player in one-day cricket as far as the Indian team is concerned. I think there is a place for him in the T20 setup for Team India and he's aware of that,” Pathan told JioStar.

Pathan also recalled Iyer’s memorable performance against Mumbai Indians in the previous season’s playoffs, saying, “That qualifier knock against Mumbai, I still remember that shot against Bumrah, gliding that yorker down towards third man with so much time. He has improved leaps and bounds. I'm really excited to see if he can replicate the same performance this season as well. I'm confident he will.”

On Punjab Kings’ overall team combination, Pathan expressed optimism, noting a balance between batting firepower and bowling depth.

“If I look at this team, it's pretty much sorted. With Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, the top order is sorted, followed by Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh. Those guys just pick themselves, and then Stoinis' finishing ability will be required as well,” he said.

He further highlighted the franchise’s reliance on all-rounder Mitch Owen and the strength of the fast-bowling unit, stating, “After that, they're trying to trust Mitch Owen, who is actually a powerhouse. If he clicks, picking the fast bowlers and the rest of the line-up will not be difficult. My eyes will be on this team's fast bowlers, Arshdeep, Marco Jansen and Ferguson, they are totally sorted. They have good backups as well.”

--IANS

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