Shreyas Iyer discusses facing Virat Kohli in the IPL 2025 final, saying, “When you are on pitch, it’s about rivalry.”

PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer talked about taking against his Indian teammate Virat Kohli prior to the summit match. Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), two teams that have never won the coveted trophy, are scheduled to face off in the IPL 2025 final.

The ‘Holy Trinity’ of IPL teams—RCB, PBKS, and Delhi Capitals—have consistently competed in the competition but have never taken home a title. This time, though, one of them will be listed with a title.

After eleven years, PBKS made it to the final under the leadership of Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer.

As for Kohli, who has been with the team since the beginning and has lost four finals, RCB will be hoping to win the championship for him. Even though Shreyas Iyer and Kohli are very close, Shreyas Iyer made it plain that he will stop at nothing to help his team win the match.

“The rivalry is everything when you’re on the pitch. Comfort isn’t the point. Not at all. You are at war when you take the pitch, and your goal is to win. I will thus do everything in my power to ensure that my team succeeds. Since the circumstances can change at any time and we must adapt our play accordingly, you cannot say that this is how we will play.

“It’s not like we have a strategy and don’t change course if circumstances change. Although our players are youthful and courageous, they have grown and adjusted over their careers. Therefore, we cannot follow a direct plan. At the pre-final press conference, he stated, “We need to go there and see how we are playing the wicket.”

After being left out of India’s Test team for the England tour and leaving the Kolkata Knight Riders after leading them to their third championship in 2024, the Punjab captain views this final as more than just a match. Iyer made history by being the first captain to captain three separate teams in the IPL finals. He will become the first captain to win the trophy with two different teams if he wins this. The 30-year-old led his team home with a captain’s knock of 87* in the Qualifier 2 match against the Mumbai Indians.