Shreyas Iyer on his Qualifier 2 classic: 'I love big occasions'

"Relax, rejuvenate, get a massage, and be in a great mindspace."

That is Shreyas Iyer's agenda ahead of Tuesday's IPL 2025 final, where he'll have the chance to win a second straight title as captain, this time with Punjab Kings (PBKS), following his success with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year.

Iyer played a truly special innings to get there. His unbeaten 41-ball 87 in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians (MI) took PBKS to their second IPL final, their last one coming way back in 2014. Iyer's knock contained eight sixes, including four in what became the match's final over as PBKS won with six balls to spare.

Iyer was a picture of composure as he struck the winning runs, even as his team-mates rushed onto the field to celebrate.

"I don't know, to be honest," he said of his demeanour. "I love big occasions. 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."

Iyer also spoke of an attitude shift in the PBKS camp since their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 three nights ago. He said he had underlined to the team that one bad game wasn't going to define their season. Having thrown the "hiccup" against RCB "in the bin", they wanted to show "intent and positivity" going into a knockout clash against MI.

"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."

Iyer's handling of a group of hugely talented uncapped Indian players at PBKS has come in for widespread praise. Among this group is Nehal Wadhera, who made crucial 29-ball 48 during an 84-run stand off just 47 balls with his captain.

"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 in such big occasions, it's important they need to gain more experience."

Asked to jog back to auction day and the prospect of going to a new team, Iyer revealed he wasn't focused as much on going to a particular team as he was on playing in a "good environment", which he said he got at PBKS this year.

"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, cherish the situation. I want to go to the dressing room and celebrate with team-mates 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."