‘The bigger the occasion, the calmer you are’ - Shreyas Iyer on his mantra of success in clutch games

‌Shreyas Iyer once again proved on Monday that he is a man for the big occasions with an unbelievable knock that saw his team qualify for the final of IPL 2025 with a five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. The PBK captain, after coming in at 55/2 in a chase of 204, smashed eight sixes and five fours in his unbeaten 41-ball 87 to power his side to only their second final in the 18-year tournament history.

Shreyas has come good in clutch moments earlier too with his century for India against New Zealand in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 semifinal and a crucial knock against the same side in the IC Champions Trophy final earlier this year resting the case. When queried about what brings out his best in high-pressure matches like these during the post-match presentation ceremony, the 30-year-old batter said he loved the big occasion.

"I don't know, to be honest, I love big occasions,” Shreyas mentioned. “I say to myself and my colleagues, the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are, and you'll get the best results. Today I was focusing on my breathing rather than sweating it out."

Shreyas was elated that PBKS’ all-guns approach had given them a favourable result again after their rare failure against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 at New Chandigarh with Josh Inglis’ exploits against Jasprit Bumrah with a 20-run over earlier in the innings giving the side the much-needed impetus and belief during the chase.

"All the players need to be assertive," he said. "Show intent from ball one. We weren't able to capitalise on the start, but the intent was stupendous. Even for me, when I went out there, I had to take some time, but the batsman at the other end (Josh Inglis), he was striking pretty well. I know the more time I spend on the field, the better I play and my vision also gets better."

This has been a season where the Mumbai batter has been at his best not just with the willow, but also in leading a Punjab side that is filled with loads of talented uncapped domestic players. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya at the top, Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh in the middle, and even Vyshak Vijaykumar with the ball have all punched above their weight collectively in the side’s dream campaign this year. But just like his coach Ricky Ponting, he is someone who allows his younger teammates to express themselves.

"I just let them be, don't ask too much of them," Iyer said. "I love the fearless nature we bring to the table, the ideas they share. Talk to any of them and they'll have a fair set of ideas on how to play a situation. Even if they haven't got that much experience, I feel they have that brave nature, and on such big occasions, it's important they need to gain more experience."

As he helms a third side into the summit clash of IPL (after captaining Delhi Capitals in 2020 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024), Shreyas was happy with how the season has evolved after joining a new side post the IPL 2025 auctions.

"I am very comfortable around the management and everyone around me and the environment is very positive," he said. "I am just staying in the moment, cherishing the situation. I want to go to the dressing room and celebrate with teammates about getting into the final. But in my mind, the job is only half-done, so I don't want to think too much about the final."