Captaincy brings in a lot of maturity and responsibility: Shreyas Iyer

Captaincy seems to sit well with Shreyas Iyer and he is clearly thriving in the role. After leading Punjab Kings to the final for the first time in 11 years in the just-concluded IPL 2025, he has guided Sobo Mumbai Falcons into the semifinals of the T20 Mumbai League, a franchise-based league under the aegis of the Mumbai Cricket Association.

"It (captaincy) brings in a lot of maturity and responsibility," Iyer said amid all-round appreciation of his leadership skills since the IPL started. There are even speculations that he could, potentially, be India's next white ball captain while a call-up for the the Test series in England is also a possibility.

"Look, anyone can be called. Anyone can be called if they are in good form," Gautam Gambhir recently said of a late call-up for Iyer. "We could only pick 18, and the chairman-selector has already answered that question. For me, I think it's always about being open to people who are in good form and who can come and deliver."

Iyer scored over 600 runs in the IPL and after playing the final in Ahmedabad on June 3, he straight away came to Mumbai to lead the SoBo side. His side has won four out of the five games to make the last-four stage.

"You are always expected to perform and contribute in the best way possible for the team because whenever there is a hurdle or some kind of adversity you face as a team, they always come to the captain. I think I have got a lot of experience as I have been captaining since I was 22. I have enjoyed the moments and also embraced it. I love the fact that I can come out and lead," Iyer said.

Talking about handling high-pressure moments, he further added: "I just try to get into my zone and I try to do things which are there in front of me. I try to stay focused as much as possible, just to stay in the present, embrace the situation, embrace the crowd because sometimes they get very electrifying and pass on the energy to you. So I keep telling myself that I want the crowd to cheer my name, and that brings that kind of motivation."

Iyer is among the top international stars featured in one of India's leading domestic franchise-based T20 tournaments, alongside players like Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw and Shivam Dube among others.

The right-handed batsman also shared his views on the role of the T20 Mumbai League. "The MCA has put in great efforts to bring this league and identify the talents who have been consistently performing in the grassroots of Mumbai. This gives them a great platform to come and express themselves and also to thrive beyond club cricket," he said.

The semi-finals and final of the this year's league will be played at the Wankhede on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.