Shreyas Santosh Iyer is an Indian international cricketer who plays as a right-handed top-order batsman. Known for his aggressive stroke play, particularly against spin, Iyer has represented India across all three formats and has captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to an Indian Premier League (IPL) title. He plays domestic cricket for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
| Full name | Shreyas Santosh Iyer |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 December 1994, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm leg break (occasional) |
| Role | Top-order batsman |
| Domestic team | Mumbai |
| IPL teams | Delhi Daredevils / Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings |
| International debut (ODI) | 2017, against Sri Lanka |
| Test debut | 2021, against New Zealand at Kanpur |
| T20I debut | 2017, against New Zealand |
Shreyas Iyer was born in Mumbai into a Tamil family. He attended Don Bosco High School, Matunga, and trained at the Shivaji Park area, long known as a cradle of Mumbai cricket. He developed under coach Pravin Amre, a former India Test batsman, who has remained a long-term mentor in his career.
Iyer made his first-class debut for Mumbai in the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy season and quickly emerged as one of the most prolific run-scorers on the domestic circuit. In that debut season he was the leading run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy, an achievement that brought him into national reckoning. He has since been a mainstay of the Mumbai middle order and has captained the side in domestic competitions.
Iyer was part of the Mumbai squad that won the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy, the team's 42nd title.
Iyer was signed by Delhi Daredevils (later Delhi Capitals) in the 2015 IPL auction and went on to lead the franchise to the final of IPL 2020, where they lost to Mumbai Indians. Ahead of the 2022 season he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders and appointed captain. Under his leadership, KKR won the IPL 2024 title, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final at Chennai. He was subsequently signed by Punjab Kings in the 2025 mega auction and named captain of the franchise.
Iyer made his ODI and T20I debuts for India in 2017. He cemented his place in the ODI middle order, particularly at number four, a position long considered unsettled for India. He made his Test debut against New Zealand at Kanpur in November 2021, scoring a century in his first innings and a half-century in the second, becoming one of the few Indian batsmen to achieve such a debut.
Iyer was a key contributor in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup held in India, where India reached the final. He scored multiple centuries during the tournament as part of a strong middle-order partnership with K. L. Rahul and Virat Kohli. He was also part of the Indian squad that won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Iyer is regarded as a confident strokemaker with strength on the leg side and a particular ability to use his feet against spin bowling. He is also known for the lofted straight hit. Analysts have at times pointed to short-pitched bowling as a challenge in his game, an aspect he has worked on through his career.
Iyer has dealt with notable injuries during his career, including a shoulder injury sustained in 2021 that required surgery and kept him out for several months, and back issues in 2023 that necessitated surgery and rehabilitation before his return for the 2023 World Cup.
Iyer is considered among the most successful Indian captains in the IPL era, having led two different franchises to finals and won the title with KKR. In the national side, he has been instrumental in stabilising the ODI middle order during a transitional phase for Indian cricket and is regarded as one of the finer players of spin bowling in the contemporary international game.