"I am honoured that the team has reposed its faith in me. I am looking forward to working again with coach [Ricky] Ponting," Iyer was quoted as saying in a release. "The team looks strong, with a great mix of potential and proven performers. I hope to repay the faith shown by the management to deliver our maiden title."

"Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver," PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting said. "Shreyas has a great mind for the game. His proven capabilities as captain will enable the team to deliver. I have enjoyed my time with Iyer in the past in IPL, and I look forward to working with him again. With his leadership and the talent in the squad, I am excited about the seasons ahead."

Ponting also dropped strong hints about appointing Iyer as captain after the mega auction. "I wanted to work with Shreyas," Ponting told Star Sports after the auction. "I've worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He'll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I'm pretty sure we probably will. And obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab."