Shreyas Iyer's love affair with finals

New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): Shreyas Iyer will walk into his second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) final on Tuesday evening, but this time not in the purple and gold of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He will instead be donning the red of Punjab Kings (PBKS), as they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Iyer's blistering 87 off just 41 balls in the Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians (MI) took Punjab to their second IPL final after eleven years.

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Few players in Indian cricket carry such a prolific record on the grandest stage of domestic and international competitions. In T20 finals alone, Iyer has made four appearances. He scored an unbeaten 65 for Delhi Capitals (DC) in their 2020 IPL final loss to Mumbai Indians. Representing Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2022 final, he chipped in with a composed 34 in a victorious effort against Himachal Pradesh. In the IPL 2024 final with KKR, he remained not out on 6 as his team clinched the title against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Most recently, in the SMAT 2024 final, Iyer contributed 16 runs for Mumbai in a winning effort against Madhya Pradesh. Across these four T20 finals, Iyer has scored 121 runs in four innings with two not outs, averaging an outstanding 60.5 with one half-century, while finishing on the winning side in three of those encounters.

When it comes to white-ball finals overall, encompassing both T20 and List A formats, Iyer has featured in 10 such matches. Across ten innings, with two of those being unbeaten, he has compiled 413 runs at a stellar average of 51.62. His highest score in a white-ball final came in the 2018-19 Deodhar Trophy final, where he blazed his way to 148 for India B against India C, although it came in a losing cause. In the 2017-18 Deodhar Trophy final, he scored 61 for India B against Karnataka in a winning effort. He also registered 48 for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, playing a crucial supporting role in India's title win. In earlier appearances, he had scored 24 for India B in the 2015-16 Deodhar Trophy final, which ended in defeat, and 7 for Mumbai in the 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Delhi, a match Mumbai won. Out of these ten white-ball finals, Iyer has been part of the winning team six times.

In first-class cricket finals, Iyer has maintained his reputation as a high-impact player. His breakthrough came in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy final against Saurashtra, where he struck a majestic 117 and was named 'Player of the Match' in Mumbai's title win. More recently, in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha, he scored a crucial 95 in the second innings, and a 7 in the first, guiding his side to yet another title. In the 2016 Irani Cup, representing Mumbai against the Rest of India, Iyer scored 55 in the first innings before falling for a duck in the second, as Mumbai went down in a close contest. Playing for the Rest of India in the 2019 Irani Cup final against Vidarbha, he scored 19 in the first innings and an unbeaten 61 in the second, though the team ended on the losing side. In 2024, Iyer once again featured in the Irani Cup, this time representing Mumbai against the Rest of India, scoring 57 and 8 to help Mumbai clinch a memorable win. He also played a key role in the 2022 Duleep Trophy final for West Zone against South Zone, making scores of 37 and 71 in a successful outing.

Cumulatively, across all formats, T20, List A, and first-class, Iyer has featured in 16 tournament finals, batting in 21 innings and remaining not out on three occasions. He has scored a total of 940 runs at an average of 52.22. These performances include two centuries and seven half-centuries. Out of the 16 finals he has featured in, his teams have emerged victorious ten times.

Now, as he gears up for yet another final, this time leading Punjab Kings. Iyer carries with him not just form, but a proven pedigree in finals cricket. His unbeaten 87 against Mumbai in Qualifier 2 has already stamped his authority on this season's playoffs. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)