Punjab Kings are enjoying a dream run in the IPL 2026 season and a big reason behind their success is the leadership of Shreyas Iyer. Under his captaincy, the team has remained unbeaten in their first seven matches, winning six games while one ended without a result.
This remarkable start has placed Shreyas Iyer in the record books. He has become the first captain in the IPL history to go through the opening seven matches of a season without a single defeat. His calm approach and smart decision-making have played a key role in Punjab’s strong performance so far.
Former India cricketers Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan have both praised Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy. Virender Sehwag was highly impressed and rated his leadership perfectly, showing complete confidence in his performance. Zaheer Khan, however, had a slightly balanced view and felt that Rajat Patidar’s captaincy at Royal Challengers Bengaluru has also been very effective.
During a light-hearted discussion, Zaheer Khan joked that while Virender Sehwag gave full marks, he himself was a bit more cautious in his rating. Sehwag responded humorously, suggesting that the slight difference could be because of Shreyas Iyer’s loss in last season’s final.
Zaheer Khan also spoke about Ishan Kishan, who has stepped in as captain for Sunrisers Hyderabad in place of Pat Cummins. Ishan Kishan has done a solid job, leading the team to five wins in seven matches. He initially followed Pat Cummins’ leadership style but gradually introduced his own ideas, making key changes to the playing XI and improving the team’s performance.
At this point in the tournament, Punjab Kings are sitting comfortably at the top of the table with 13 points out of a possible 14. Close behind them are Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, each with 10 points, although RCB hold an advantage due to a better net run rate.
