My eye is on the trophy: Shreyas Iyer

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer expressed his desire to take his team one step further than their runners-up finish last year. With IPL 2026 just around the corner, the Indian ODI vice-captain, who led PBKS to just their second final and third playoff appearance overall last year, embraced the challenge and the expectations around the team.

"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," Shreyas said at the team's official jersey launch event on Friday (March 20).

Shreyas also revealed losing 7 kilograms after suffering a ruptured spleen injury during the tour of Australia last October. He underwent surgery and endured a layoff of over two months, following which he marked his comeback for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, prior to the one-dayers against New Zealand in January.

"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," he said.

Punjab Kings went down by six runs to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final of IPL 2025 in Ahmedabad. Shreyas enjoyed a stellar campaign, tallying 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike-rate of 175.07, with his unbeaten 87 against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 emerging as the highlight.

PBKS open their IPL 2026 campaign with a home fixture against Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh on Tuesday, March 31.