Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian batter, took a vile dig at former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and current Team India coach Gautam Gambhir, saying Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the franchise last season, did not get due credit for winning the Indian Premier League (IPL). The defending champions, KKR, exited the IPL 2025 in the league stage.

Although Shreyas Iyer led from the front last season, scoring 351 runs from 14 innings at an average of 39, with two fifties, to power KKR to their third IPL title last season, it was their mentor Gambhir who was largely credited for the feat.

With Shreyas playing for Punjab Kings this season and steering them to the playoffs on Sunday, Gavaskar said it is the captain who deserves much of the credit instead of someone sitting in the dugout.

"He did not get the credit for the IPL victory last season. All the plaudits were given to someone else. It is the captain, who plays a major role in what is happening in the middle and not someone sitting in the dugout," Gavaskar told broadcaster Star Sports.

Under Shreyas' leadership, Punjab Kings reached the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2014, when they lost the final to KKR.

Gavaskar was full of praise for Shreyas, who stood out despite the franchise having a star former player in their dugout as coachRi - Ricky Ponting.

"See, this year he's getting fair credit. No one is giving all the credit to Ricky Ponting," Gavaskar added.

PBKS shelled out a whopping Rs 26.75 crore in the auction to procure Shreyas. The batter proved his mettle not only by leading the team with distinction but also by scoring 405 runs in 11 games at an average of 50.63, including four fifties.

The good bonding between Ponting and Shreyas helped PBKS this season. Since they had worked together in the past at Delhi Capitals—where they managed to qualify for the playoffs in 2019 before finishing as runners-up in 2020—it proved beneficial for PBKS this season.

Punjab Kings are currently in third position on the points table with 17 points from 12 matches.

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