After 33 games in the league phase of IPL 2026, PBKS are still unbeaten with five wins and one no-result in six games. They top the table with 11 points. A large reason for their success is skipper Shreyas Iyer. So what makes him such an effective captain? Well, PBKS pacer Xavier Bartlett opened up on the matter.

Bartlett said that Shreyas had a wealth of experience and was very calm and composed. He added that Shreyas was very good at reading the game and make decisions accordingly. Bartlett also said that Shreyas brought confidence to the bowling unit to execute their skills and that trust gives them a big boost.

© X/IPL

“I’ve been fortunate to play under some great captains in my career. Shreyas, in particular, brings a wealth of experience in these conditions. His calm and composed presence stands out, he’s always cool, collected, and in control,” he said while speaking to Sports Today in an exclusive interview.

“One of the most impressive aspects of his captaincy is how well he understands conditions and reads the game. He also instils a great deal of confidence in the bowling group, backing us to go out there and execute our skills. That trust makes a big difference, and he’s someone I’ve really enjoyed working with,” he added.

Shreyas Iyer’s Success as IPL Skipper

In IPL 2025, he took PBKS to the final. In 2024, he led KKR to what was their 4th IPL title. In 2020, he took DC to their maiden IPL final. So he does have a knack of taking his team far in the tournament. Now there is chatter that he could be India’s next T20I skipper.

He’s also led by example in IPL 2026 with 208 runs in five innings at an average of 52 and strike rate of 182.46. This time he will want to do one better than 2025. PBKS’ next outing is vs DC on April 25. They are on course to make it to the Playoffs. Is a maiden title loading? Time will tell.