NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Punjab Kings' owners will feel the $3.17 million they splurged on Shreyas Iyer was money well spent after the 30-year-old demonstrated selfless leadership in Tuesday's Indian Premier League (IPL) victory against 2022 champions Gujarat Titans.
Perennial underdogs Punjab have reached the IPL final only once when they finished runners-up to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, and they came ninth of 10 teams last year.
Iyer guided Kolkata to their third IPL title last year but was then released by the team, opening the door for Punjab to chase the batter's signature and put him in charge of the squad.
A key member of India's victorious Champions Trophy squad, Iyer smashed an unbeaten 97 against Gujarat in Ahmedabad in a 42-ball blitz featuring nine sixes and five fours.
Despite being on the brink of his first IPL hundred, Iyer then gave batting partner Shashank Singh the green light to swing away in their final over instead of asking him to look for a single to bring his captain on strike.
Shashank smashed five fours in that 23-run final over to power Punjab to a commanding 243-5.
"I was going to ask him if I should take a single or something but he only came and told me to not worry about his hundred," said Shashank, who belted 44 not out off just 16 balls.
"It takes a lot of heart and courage to say that because obviously hundreds don't come easily in T20, especially in IPL."
Fifties by Sai Sudharshan and Jos Buttler kept Gujarat in the hunt but they could manage only 232-5 despite Sherfane Rutherford's brisk 46 at number four.
Iyer, named player of the match, said their final-over fireworks with the bat proved decisive with Punjab seamer Arshdeep Singh comfortably defending 27 runs in Gurjat's last over.
"Getting those extra 40 runs after the 200, we had set that as the benchmark," Iyer said.
"With the dew coming in, we knew that the scenario would be changing. Thankfully, we were able to execute and the way he (Shashank) performed was simply brilliant."
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)
