20 March,2026 07:20 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shreyas Iyer
The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
Ahead of the league, Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer spoke about the importance of spending time with teammates off the field.
He also stated that building a good bond off the field helps the team to yield better results.
"This is the period where we live as a family for two months. The more time we spend together, the more we get to know each other. Now is the time where we build that camaraderie. We spend most of our time in the game room, playing FIFA and other games. The planning and plotting for matches usually happens a day or two before the game, but building this bond off the field helps us get better results eventually," he said during the event where the franchise revealed its official match kit.
Further speaking, the right-handed batsman also spoke about his journey of recovering from an injury to returning to the field.
"It is always challenging to come back after an injury. I had lost around seven kilos and it took a lot of effort to gain that weight back. But I love challenges. I am glad I overcame that part of my life, and I am back here proudly representing the team," said Iyer.
"Embracing the love from the Punjab fans, who have fondly given him the tag of 'Sarpanch Sahab', Shreyas was clear about his ultimate goal.
"Expectations are high, which is fun. I love the challenge. But the important thing is that whenever we step in, we have to win. My eye is on the trophy," said the 31-year-old cricketer.
PBKS will begin the IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 31 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad.
Gujarat Titans: Ishant Sharma, Jos Buttler (WK), Jason Holder, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Tewatia, Luke Wood, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, Shubman Gill (C), Tom Banton (WK), Yarra Raj, Anuj Rawat, Sai Sudharsan, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Arshad Khan, Nishant Sandhu, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma.
