KKR announced on Wednesday that Shreyas Iyer will be leading the KKR in the upcoming season 2022 while KKR was earned the Shreyas Iyer for Rs 12.25 crore in the recently IPL mega auction.
IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Rider (KKR) announced on Wednesday that Shreyas Iyer would be leading the KKR in the upcoming IPL season 2022. KKR was picked up the Shreyas Iyer for Rs 12.25 crore in the recently IPL mega auction.
Shreyas has in the past captained the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise and led the team to its maiden IPL final in the 2020 edition. An injury sent him out to the initial phase of the 2021 season, which saw Rishabh Pant leading the DC.
Shreyas returned in the UAE leg of IPL but DC decided to retain Pant as skipper. Shreyas was not hired by the franchise, which led him to be picked by the KKR.
Shreyas acquire from Eoin Morgan, under whose leadership KKR had reached the final of IPL 2021.
Making the announcement, Venky Mysore, CEO & MD of KKR said,
“We are delighted firstly to have been able to successfully bid for Shreyas in the IPL auction & to have the opportunity for him to lead #TeamKKR. He has impressed one & all as a quality batsman at the highest level & we are confident that he will excel as a leader of #TeamKKR.”
KKR head coach Brendon McCullum said that he is looking forward to working closely with Shreyas.
“I am very excited to have one of India’s brightest future leaders in Shreyas Iyer, take the reins at KKR. I’ve enjoyed Shreyas’ game and his captaincy skills from afar and now will look forward to working closely with him to drive forward the success and style of play we want at KKR,”
McCullum said.
Accepting captaincy of KKR, Shreyas Iyer said –
“I am extremely honored to have gotten the opportunity to lead a prestigious team like KKR. The IPL as a tournament brings the best players from different countries and cultures together and I look forward to leading this great group of very talented individuals. I would like to thank the owners, management, and support staff of KKR for allowing me to lead this team and I am confident that we will find the right synergies to achieve the team’s goals. Kolkata and the Eden Gardens have a very rich history when it comes to Indian cricket and I look forward to contributing to this rich history and making our fans proud of us as a team! Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo!”
KKR had won the IPL title in 2012 and 2014, under the leadership of former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir.