‘I found that quite funny’- AB De Villiers reveals his surprise at Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy announcement being done on Bigg Boss

Former South African star batter AB De Villiers spoke about the publicity stunt pulled by the Punjab Kings to announce Shreyas Iyer as the captain. The 30-year-old was a guest on the Bigg Boss 18’s "Weekend Ka Vaar show with Salman Khan." Iyer was joined by Shashank Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal during the show. 

As the three players made their way to the stage, host Salman Khan put out a video announcing Iyer as the skipper. This was the first time any team has made such an announcement in the history of the IPL. Shreyas Iyer was purchased by the Punjab Kings for INR 26.75 crore after the 30-year-old was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders. It is to be noted that Shreyas Iyer was the captain when KKR won the title last year. 

40-year-old AB De Villiers was live on his YouTube channel when he said, “Shreyas Iyer is appointed as the captain of the Punjab Kings in a very odd way, on a TV show. I found that quite funny. Maybe it is the new way of doing things. I am generally used to a press conference and a formal announcement, but this was actually maybe quite refreshing in a way."

AB De Villiers looking forward to Iyer and Ponting partnership again

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting was named the coach of the Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2025 season. Ponting was the coach of the Delhi Capitals when Shreyas Iyer led them to the finals of the IPL 2020 tournament. AB De Villiers lauded the Indian star for his amazing leadership in 2024 that earned KKR their third IPL title. 

“He’s had some success with KKR, winning the IPL, and leading them to victory. That was absolutely incredible and a big loss for KKR, to be honest. I feel Shreyas handled the IPL so well, immense pressure, and so many quality teams against you, all the players. Shreyas found a way to keep things calm and composed in that KKR unit," he added. 

The former South African star all said, “But he is with the Punjab Kings this year, and it’s great to see him under the coaching of Ricky Ponting. Ponting is one of the best players that ever played this game; he’s got an incredibly smart cricket brain on his shoulders, and it’s great to see the two of them together. I think they’ve got a good side guys, and finally, we might just see Punjab Kings have a good season."

“It’s been a while, right? It’s been a while since we’ve seen them in the knockout stages, and it will be good for the tournament. So, yes, I think Shreyas Iyer will feed off Ricky Ponting. Shreyas already comes with a lot of experience because he actually won that IPL last year. I think he’s a natural leader, and he’s got a very good side to work with," said AB De Villiers on his YouTube channel.