Dinesh Karthik Picks 30-Year-Old Star As India’s Player Of The Tournament In Champions Trophy 2025

Last Updated:March 13, 2025, 16:00 IST

Iyer batted at No. 4 for India in all five matches, and with the help of two half-centuries, scored 243 runs.

Dinesh Karthik picks 30-year-old star as India’s Player of the Tournament In Champions Trophy. (Picture Credit: AFP, Screengrab)

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, who has now donned the hat of an expert and commentator, has picked middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer as India’s Player of the Tournament in the Champions Trophy 2025. Iyer played all five matches in the Champions Trophy and, with the help of two half-centuries, scored 243 runs. He finished as India’s leading run scorer in the eight-team tournament, which was played across three venues in Pakistan and one in Dubai.

During Cricbuzz’s HeyCB with DK show, when asked, “Who, according to you, was India’s player of the tournament this Champions Trophy?” Karthik said, “Shreyas Iyer. Most consistent, under pressure, got runs every game.”

Iyer batted at No. 4 for the Rohit Sharma-led side in all five matches. He scored 15 runs from 17 balls in the first Group A match played against Bangladesh on February 20, and in the high-voltage match against Pakistan on Sunday (February 23), Iyer hammered 56 runs to help the Men in Blue chase down the target of 242 in 42.3 overs for the loss of four wickets.

In the Group A match against New Zealand on March 2, when Mitchell Santner invited India to bat first, Iyer scored 79 runs to help the Rohit Sharma-led side post a total of 249 runs on the board, which in the end proved to be enough.

Iyer scored 45 runs from 62 balls in the semifinal against Australia and 48 runs from 62 balls in the final against New Zealand.

The Mumbai-based cricketer who was dropped from central contracts last year has overall scored 424 runs in eight ODIs played so far in 2025. Only India’s Shubman Gill (447 runs) and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson (425 runs) have scored more ODI runs than him in 2025.

After winning his first ICC title with the Indian team, Iyer will now be seen in action for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025. He was signed for Rs 26.75 crore by the Mohali-based franchise in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Iyer, who was named PBKS captain in January 2025, will look to help them qualify for the playoffs at least in his first season in charge.