“Shreyas Iyer Recalls Ball Boy Experience in IPL 2008, Names His Favourite Player from That Era”

March 18, 2025: Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Punjab Kings (PBKS), recently reflected on his early days in cricket, recalling his experience as a ball boy during the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium. Iyer shared this nostalgic memory during his appearance on JioHotstar’s ‘Superstars’ program, where he reminisced about the moment he had the chance to interact with some of his cricketing idols.

Iyer, who would go on to captain Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title in 2023 and lead Delhi Capitals to the finals in 2020, recalled how he was part of the group of ball boys for the Mumbai Indians (MI) versus Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) match. At the time, he was playing for Mumbai’s Under-14 team, and this was his first experience of the IPL up close.

“I grew up playing street cricket in my area, and at that time, I was playing for Mumbai’s U-14 team. All the kids from the Mumbai squad were assigned to be ball boys, and it was my first experience of IPL up close,” Iyer said.

Despite being shy, Iyer remembered mustering up the courage to approach one of his cricketing heroes, New Zealand’s Ross Taylor, who was playing for RCB at the time. “I went up to him and said, ‘Sir, I am a big fan of yours.’ He was very sweet and thanked me,” Iyer recalled. He also shared that while it was common to ask players for a bat or gloves, he was too shy to make that request, even though he wanted to.

Iyer also spoke about his memorable encounter with former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan during the same match. He vividly recalled seeing Irfan Pathan standing at long-on and later chatting with him and his friends. “He sat next to us and asked if we were enjoying the match. We told him we were having a lot of fun and were thrilled to see him. Irfan bhai was very popular, and the Punjab team had some of the most good-looking boys, including Yuvraj Singh. It’s a memory that has stayed with me even after so many years,” Iyer shared.

Having made his IPL debut in 2015 with Delhi Capitals, Iyer has come a long way, amassing over 3,100 runs with an average of 32.23. In 2015, he won the ‘Emerging Player’ award and has since become one of the most reliable and respected figures in the IPL. With his leadership experience and the memories of his early days, Iyer is looking forward to leading PBKS as they begin their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans on March 25.

As the season unfolds, Iyer aims to replicate his previous success and bring the same magic to Punjab Kings, just like he did with KKR, where he led them to their third IPL title in 2023.