Shreyas Iyer Among Top Scorers for Mumbai in Last Ranji Season; Ponting Reacts to Test Snub Shreyas Iyer was one of the leading run-scorers for Mumbai in the previous Ranji Trophy season, making his exclusion from India’s Test squad for the England tour all the more surprising.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting shared his thoughts on Iyer’s omission, suggesting that being left out of the longest format has only fueled the PBKS captain’s drive to perform in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the Test squad for the England series, and the absence of Iyer raised many eyebrows. Despite his consistent performances in domestic cricket, he was overlooked in favor of Karun Nair.
Nevertheless, Iyer didn’t let the snub affect him. Instead, he stepped up his game in IPL 2025, leading PBKS to the tournament final. His standout performance came in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians (MI), where he played one of his best innings of the season.
Iyer crossed the 600-run mark for the season with a sensational unbeaten 87 against MI, guiding his team to a crucial victory and securing a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad
“I actually thought he would be picked” – Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer’s omission from the England Test series
Ricky Ponting shared his thoughts on Shreyas Iyer not being selected for the Test series against England, expressing disappointment over the decision. Ponting believed Iyer hadn’t done anything to warrant being left out and hoped that the snub would motivate the PBKS captain to deliver strong performances in the playoffs. He said:
“Some of the players who have been selected for the Test squad earned their spots through strong first-class performances and solid IPL seasons leading up to the selection. Shreyas has done everything just as well as those players.”
“So yes, I was disappointed he wasn’t picked because I genuinely felt he would be. But he wasn’t, and I think that will probably make him even more determined and hungry to perform for us in the upcoming playoff matches,” Ponting concluded.
