Shreyas Iyer Biography: “A player scored a century on his Test debut in the first innings and then followed it up with a half-century in the second innings, becoming the only Indian to achieve this record.”
Early Stage
Shreyas was born on 6th December 1994 in Chembur, Mumbai.
His father, Santosh Iyer, worked in the banking sector, and his mother, Rohini Iyer, is a homemaker. Shreyas has a younger sister named Shrishti Iyer.
He completed his schooling at Don Bosco High School, Matunga, and pursued his college education at Ramniranjan Anandilal Podar College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai.
Shreyas joined the Shivaji Park Gymkhana and DY Patil Cricket Academy for formal coaching. Later, he was spotted by coach Pravin Amre at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana, who trained him during his early cricketing days.
At the age-group level, Iyer’s teammates often compared him to Virender Sehwag.
During his graduation from Podar College, Iyer helped his college team win six trophies.
Earlier in his career, he represented India Under-19 at the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.”
Domestic career
Iyer made his List A debut for Mumbai in November 2014, playing in the 2014–15 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 273 runs in that tournament at an average of 54.60.
Iyer made his first-class cricket debut in December 2014 during the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy.
He scored a total of 809 runs at an average of 50.56 in his debut Ranji season, including two centuries and six fifties.
He was 7th highest scorer of the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy.
In the 2015–16 Ranji Trophy, Iyer scored 1,321 runs at an average of 73.39, including four centuries and seven fifties.
Becoming the top scorer of the Ranji season and the second player to score 1,300 runs in a single Ranji Trophy competition.
In the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy, Iyer scored 725 runs at an average of 42.64, including two centuries and two fifties.
In September 2018, Iyer was named the vice-captain of Mumbai for the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament.
He was the leading run-scorer for Mumbai in the tournament, with 373 runs in seven matches.
In October 2018, Iyer was named the captain of India B’s squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy and was the leading run scorer of that tournament.
In February 2019, in the opening round of the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament, Iyer made the highest score by an Indian batsman in a T20 match, scoring 147 runs.
In February 2024, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandated Iyer to participate in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy.
Iyer did not play in the quarter-final against Baroda citing back issues.
Iyer lost his BCCI central contract but later was appeared in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu and the final against Vidharbha, and made Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy.
International Career
In October 2017, Iyer was selected in India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against New Zealand.
He made his T20I debut for India against New Zealand on 1 November 2017, but he didn’t get a chance to bat.
In November 2017, Iyer was named in India’s One Day International (ODI) squad for the series against Sri Lanka.
He made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka on 10 December 2017.
He scored 88 runs off 70 balls in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Mohali.
On 18 December 2019, in the second ODI against the West Indies, Iyer scored 31 runs in a single over—the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in one over in ODIs.
On 24 January 2020, in the first T20I against New Zealand, Iyer scored an unbeaten 58 off 29 balls and was named Man of the Match.
On 5 February 2020, in the first ODI against New Zealand at Hamilton, he scored 103 off 107 balls, registering his maiden ODI century.
In September 2021, Iyer was named as one of three reserve players in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup.
In November 2021, he was included in India’s Test squad for the home series against New Zealand. He made his Test debut on 25 November against New Zealand and received his Test cap from former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Iyer became the 16th Indian player to score a century on Test debut and the first Indian to score both a century and a half-century in the two innings of his debut Test match.
In the 2022 bilateral T20I series against Sri Lanka, Iyer broke Virat Kohli’s record for the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in a three-match T20I bilateral series, scoring a total of 204 runs with three consecutive unbeaten half-centuries.
In March 2022, Iyer was named Man of the Match after scoring two crucial fifties on a difficult turning pitch in the second Test against Sri Lanka.
In January 2023, following the Sri Lanka series, Iyer was ruled out of the New Zealand series due to back pain. He underwent back surgery in England in April and was unavailable for the ICC World Test Championship Final against Australia at The Oval.
After recovering at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Iyer returned to competitive cricket and was named in India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2023.
Iyer was part of the Indian team that finished runners-up at the 2023 Cricket World Cup. He was also a member of the squads that won the 2023 Asia Cup and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
For his performances, Iyer was named ICC Men’s Player of the Month in February 2022 and March 2025.
He finished as India’s highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 243 runs in five matches and anchoring the middle order throughout.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma publicly described Iyer as a “Silent Hero” of the campaign for his consistent middle-overs batting and crucial partnerships.
Franchise career
In February 2015, Iyer was signed in the 2015 IPL players auction by the Delhi Daredevils for ₹2.6 crore.
He scored 439 runs in 14 matches, with a 33.76 average and a strike rate of 128.36, and was named the Emerging Player of 2015 IPL.
He was announced as the new captain of Delhi Daredevils replacing Gautam Gambhir on 25 April 2018.
He became the youngest captain to lead the Delhi Daredevils team in IPL history at the age of 23 years and 142 days.
During the match against Kolkata Knight Riders and was also the fourth overall youngest to captain any IPL side.
In the 2020 season, he continued as the captain for Delhi Capitals and he also led them to their maiden IPL final against the Mumbai Indians.
Iyer scored an unbeaten 65 off 50 balls in a losing effort as Mumbai Indians won the final.
He missed half of the 2021 IPL season due to an injury in his left shoulder while playing for India in the first match of an ODI series against England in the same year.
In the 2022 IPL Auction, Iyer was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹12.25 crore.He was also named as the team’s captain.
In 2023, he was unavailable for the whole season due to a back injury, with Nitish Rana serving as the captain for that season.
He returned as the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2024 season.
He led the team to the top position of the league stage table. In the final, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets to lift their third IPL title.
He was released by KKR ahead of the 2025 IPL auction and signed up by Punjab Kings For 26.75 crores, And was named their Captain for the season.
On 3rd June 2025,They lost the final to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 6 runs.
Records
First captain to lead three different IPL franchises (DC, KKR, PBKS) into playoffs and finals.
Under his leadership, Punjab Kings completed the highest‑ever playoff run chase in IPL history (204 vs MI in IPL 2025 Qualifier 2).
One of India’s most consistent ODI performers, reaching 2,500+ ODI runs with strong averages and multiple big knocks.
Scored 105 on Test debut vs New Zealand.
Became one of the few captains in IPL history with 50+ wins as a skipper
Fun and Interesting Facts
A video went viral of him showing off some dance moves with friends and earning praise for his unexpected rhythm.
Iyer once amazed teammates with card tricks, BCCI even shared a video calling him the team’s “in‑house magician.”
Shreyas Iyer celebrates his birthday on December 6 with fellow Indian cricketers Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, and Karun Nair.
Shreyas has been given the Nickname Sarpanch Sahab in Punjab Kings 2025.
