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Leading a team against the former team is not something odd in the Indian Premier League. But witnessing history from both sides is unique. Shreyas Iyer has been often praised as a captain, leading three different teams to the IPL final, a record yet to be achieved by any. Meanwhile, he witnessed Punjab Kings dominating the Kolkata Knight Riders in two different seasons, with Shreyas leading them in consecutive years.

Today, on April 5, Punjab Kings will be playing against the home team Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Eden Gardens. There is a rain forecast, with possibilities of showers affecting the match even though the heat here since the morning has been unbearable. Yesterday, due to an afternoon pour, the ground was covered with water patches in the outfield, which canceled the practice session.

KKR at this point needs a win. They are among those teams who are yet to seal a point. The KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane will host his Mumbai teammate Shreyas, leading the Kings. And this recalls some clear memories—a batting carnage in 2024 and a bowling brilliance in 2025.

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Anybody who even strolled around the stadium would recall the crowd inside hooting for every boundary. 2024 was the golden year for Shreyas; he even won KKR the IPL trophy after 10 years before he moved to Punjab.

Eden Gardens, known for its fast outfield, took the home team to a massive 261 runs by losing 6 wickets. There are obvious reasons why KKR fans miss Phil Salt a lot. And that day, he scored 75 runs off 37 balls, smashing 6 boundaries and an equal number of sixes. The mentor Gautam Gambhir used Sunil Narine as an opener throughout the season, something he did in his captaincy regime too. And Narine added 71 runs off 32 balls, hitting 9 fours and 4 over boundaries, with a strike rate of around 222.

Apparently KKR thought it was a sure shot for them, but Jonny Bairstow had his plans. The Sam Curran-side Punjab already had a power-packed batting order, along with the discovery of Shashank Singh. Punjab finished the chase within 19 overs. Prabhsimran Singh gave a good start to the guests (54 of 20). And his partner Bairstow continued the carnage. He toyed eith the bowlers with 8 boundaries and 9 sixes, had a strike rate of 225, and stood not out at 108 runs coming from 48 balls. Shashank completed the chase with 68 runs off 28 balls, featuring 8 sixes and 2 boundaries. Historically, it is still the highest ever chase in the IPL.

This time, it's in Mullanpur, and Shreyas Iyer led the Punjab Kings. And the bowlers had their say. Punjab coiled to just 111 runs in 16 overs, with Prabhsimran adding a decent 30 runs to their name and Priyansh Arya 22. For Kolkata, Harshit Rana bagged 3 for 25, while Narine and Varun Chakravarthy took two each. Among the KKR bowlers, Varun was the only one who could complete his quota of 4 overs.

Apparently an easy chase on paper, the variable bounce on the pitch told a different story. Shreyas figured out that the balls are staying low; some are hitting the toe end of the bat. He went aggressive on his approach, and Chahal became his man. Shreyas advised to attack rather than being defensive and kept a slip for him too. Chahal ended up having 4 wickets, the key man for the night.

The powerplay was covered by Marco Jansen (3/17) while Arshdeep kept runs in check. Glenn Maxwell aided Yizi in the middle, and Marcus Stoinis ended the final hope by dismissing Andre Russell. Ironically, Shreyas became part of the IPL's lowest total ever defended, however representing the winning side.