‘When you are on field, it’s about rivalry’ – Shreyas Iyer opens up on going against Virat Kohli in IPL 2025 final

Virat-Kohli-and-Shreyas-Iyer. (Photo source: X)

The IPL 2025 final is all set to see the clash between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), two franchises that have never lifted the prestigious trophy. Ahead of the summit clash, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer expressed about facing his Indian teammate Virat Kohli.

RCB, PBKS, and Delhi Capitals are often called the ‘Holy Trinity’ of IPL franchises that have always been in the league but never won the trophy. However, this time, one of them will have a title under their name. For PBKS, under the captaincy of Iyer and the stewardship of Ricky Ponting, the side qualified for the final after 11 years.

Meanwhile, RCB will hope to lift the title for Kohli, who has been part of the franchise since the start and lost four previous finals. While Iyer and Kohli share a close bond, when it comes to game day, Iyer made it clear that he would do everything to take his side over the line.

“When you are on the field, it’s all about the rivalry. It’s not about comfort. At all. When you step onto the field, you are at war, and you fight to win. So, I will put in everything, and I will give in everything to see to it that my team wins. You can’t say this is how we will play because the situation can be anything and we have to play according to the situation.

“It’s not like we are going with a plan and then we don’t pivot if things go up or down. Our players are youngsters with a fearless nature, but they have gained experience and they have adapted. So, we can’t go with a straight plan. We have to go there and see how we are playing the wicket,” he said at the pre-final press conference.

For the Punjab captain, this final is more than just a game after being sidelined from India’s Test squad for the England tour and exiting Kolkata Knight Riders after guiding them to their third title in 2024. Notably, Iyer became the first captain to lead three different teams in the IPL finals. If he wins this, he will become the first captain to lift the trophy with two different teams. In the Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians, the 30-year-old played a captain’s knock of 87* to take his side home.

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