IPL 2025 was supposed to be the testing ground for players competing for a spot in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad. It’s still nine months away, but there is no better platform than IPL. While India’s T20 team is set with youngsters making a mark, there is one senior who is breaking down the door wide open. Shreyas Iyer is on a comeback trail in a format that all but discarded him. However, he has reinvented himself and now, he is proving to be irresistible in India’s T20 squad.
On Sunday, he sent another reminder to the selectors with a blazing knock of 25-ball 25. He did not look at any milestones. Did the job with four fours and two sixes against Lucknow Super Giants. While many pundits found short ball as his weakness, they have been silenced. The short-ball strategy hasn’t quite worked against him this season. Iyer has comfortably handled those, including in the PBKS vs LSG match in Dharamshala.
#PBKS skipper #ShreyasIyer decides to up the ante and launches a huge six!
The #IPLRace2Playoffs is onWatch the LIVE action
https://t.co/Iz9KWvCYIR #IPLRace2Playoffs
#PBKSvLSG | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 Hindi &… pic.twitter.com/RQTGrjeRqt
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 4, 2025
Shreyas Iyer in IPL 2025
Having found no place in a team that he led to a title in the last IPL season, Shreyas Iyer had a point to prove. But that did not deter Punjab Kings from splashing Rs 26.75 Cr on him. Whereas Rishabh Pant has faced the pressure of price tag, Iyer has been nonchalant.
After 11 matches of IPL 2025, Shreyas Iyer has smashed 405 runs at a whopping strike rate of 180.80. In terms of strike rate, he is at No 3, only behind Nicholas Pooran and Punjab Kings teammate Priyansh Arya. Iyer is 114 runs away from having his best IPL season. And it is well within his range. PBKS are inching closer to the playoffs and if they do, Iyer will have at least four innings to get there.
- 97* off 42 vs Gujarat Titans
- 52* off 30 vs Lucknow Super Giants
- 10 off 5 vs Rajasthan Royals
- 9 off 7 vs Chennai Super Kings
- 82 off 36 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
- 0 off 2 vs Kolkata Knight Riders
- 7 off 10 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- 6 off 10 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- 25* off 16 vs Kolkata Knight Riders
- 72 off 41 vs Chennai Super Kings
- 45 off 25 vs Lucknow Super Giants
Shreyas Iyer in IPL year-wise
| Season | Mat | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | 405 | 97* | 50.63 | 180.80 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 27 |
| 2024 | 15 | 351 | 58* | 39.00 | 146.86 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 14 |
| 2022 | 14 | 401 | 85 | 30.85 | 134.56 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 11 |
| 2021 | 8 | 175 | 47* | 35.00 | 102.33 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
| 2020 | 17 | 519 | 88* | 34.60 | 123.27 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 16 |
| 2019 | 16 | 463 | 67 | 30.86 | 119.94 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 14 |
| 2018 | 14 | 411 | 93* | 37.36 | 132.58 | 0 | 4 | 29 | 21 |
| 2017 | 12 | 338 | 96 | 33.80 | 139.09 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 10 |
| 2016 | 6 | 30 | 19 | 5.00 | 69.76 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2015 | 14 | 439 | 83 | 33.76 | 128.36 | 0 | 4 | 41 | 21 |
Will Iyer return to India’s T20 side?
India are slated to play 23 T20Is in the lead up to the T20 World Cup 2026. There is a question mark over the IND vs BAN T20 series in August. But if the series does not go through, there will be at least 20 matches.
Having already excelled with his new approach that is well-suited for India’s T20 side BCCI selection committee will definitely keep his form in mind. With Rinku Singh flowing hot and cold, Shreyas Iyer can give a new lease of life to India’s middle-order.
While it will be difficult to find a place for Iyer in the T20I side, it is not impossible. Shivam Dube hasn’t had the best of IPL seasons, and neither has Sanju Samson. If India are to rejig the batting order, Iyer can find a place at No 3. In that case, Tilak Verma plays as the finisher. As Iyer has batted at No 3 in IPL 2025, he can retain that spot with Tilak Verma moving down to No 5. That’s possible. But what’s the selectors thinking?
The post Shreyas Iyer back in reckoning for T20 World Cup 2026 after IPL 2025 exploits appeared first on Inside Sport India.