Shreyas Iyer displays his nerves of steel in a captain’s maiden unbeaten ton

By K.R. Nayar 

There are many cricketers with enormous skills, but not many possess nerves of steel. Shreyas Iyer stands tall among them. His unbeaten 101 to steer Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 23, 2026, was a brilliant captain’s knock. It was his maiden ton in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but it will glitter as an innings soaked in determination. Reaching his century through a six also reflected his authority with the signature of mastery over the toughest of moments.

The world has seen many captain’s tons, but the best are those played during a must-win match. Iyer led the way with unwavering vision. All his 11 boundaries and five sixes, after coming out to bat with his team’s score at 22 for 2, were shots that felt louder than the blast from a cannon. The task before him was daunting - to end his team’s six-match losing streak, and he achieved it.  Unfortunately, in less than 24 hours, Rajasthan Royals clinched the fourth slot in the playoff following a victory over Mumbai Indians.

Iyer knew while batting that his team, after a seven-match winning run, had wobbled, and he had to inject confidence into it. That would have been possible only through a match-winning captain’s knock. True bravery is not the absence of fear but playing a knock after assessing the need and urgency. When such knocks are played, the impact rubs off on others in the team. Prabhsimran Singh, who also rose to the challenge with a knock of 69 and stitched a 140-run partnership with Iyer, is an example.

Iyer, while playing his knock, knew that the fate of his team in this IPL was not entirely in his hands due to the string of defeats, but his aim was to give his team hope, which he accomplished. 

For long, many have been wondering why this batter has been in and out of the Indian team despite his top performances. When the bat does the talking, injustice cannot continue, and that is one of the reasons he has been named vice-captain of the India ODI team against Afghanistan.

Luck has not always walked beside him. Injuries have arrived at the most inconvenient moments, threatening to halt his rhythm. To hit back at those disappointments like his sixes and march ahead is tough, but he has been doing that all through his life. Never has he shown his anger or spoken about the discrimination shown towards him, even though many less experienced players have walked into captaincy and vice-captaincy of the Indian team.

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n his IPL matches as captain of Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders earlier, he has shown his ability to carry the team on his shoulders. One important quality in him is how he absorbs pressure like a seasoned general reading the battlefield. What was so attractive about his innings was how he shifted gears to reach his fifty and then, raced to his century after that. He has the ability to nullify any resistance, and it is a treat to watch.

Some centuries entertain, but when they are played by a captain to lift his team, they become more special. Iyer did exactly that. He knows the fate of his team is not entirely in his hands, but the bat he holds and the magic he can create with it are. That is how, while chasing LSG’s total of 197, he took his team to 200 with 12 balls to spare.

After receiving the Player of the Match award, Iyer had said: “Free-flow of mind is required in crucial matches… Today I literally told (coach) Ricky (Ponting) that let's not do any team meetings. Let's just head to the ground and do our rituals which we've been doing consistently; and we could see the result.” What no one foresaw was that this quiet ritual would give birth to a captain’s masterpiece.