The two-time IPL champions and last year’s finalists have named Shreyas Iyer – their most expensive buy in the IPL 2022 auction at INR 12.25 crore – as the successor to Eoin Morgan. The 27-year-old becomes the seventh captain in the franchise’s history.
Iyer was in high demand in the auction as one of the established India international players and as a potential captaincy candidate. The Knight Riders got into a bidding war against Delhi Capitals first and then Gujarat Titans to eventually secure his services.
“We are delighted firstly to have been able to successfully bid for Shreyas in the IPL auction and to have the opportunity for him to lead #TeamKKR. He has impressed one and all as a quality batsman at the highest level and we are confident that he will excel as a leader of #TeamKKR,”
the CEO & MD of Knight Riders Venky Mysore stated.
Iyer previously led Delhi Capitals from 2018 to 2021 before a shoulder injury ruled him out of the 2021 season. He returned to the team in the UAE leg of the season, but DC management decided to continue with Rishabh Pant as the skipper. Iyer had expressed his desire to lead an IPL side and was one of the reasons for coming into the auction.
“I am extremely honoured to have gotten the opportunity to lead a prestigious team like KKR. I look forward to leading this great group of very talented individuals.”
he said.
Iyer has captained in 41 matches in the IPL, winning 23 and losing 18. He led DC to two consecutive playoffs in 2019 and 2020. Delhi made their first-ever appearance in an IPL final under him, eventually going down against Mumbai Indians.
The player will work alongside the head coach Brendan McCullum and will also have a familiar face in the KKR team management in the assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, with whom he shares a close bond.
Apart from Iyer, the other new names bought by KKR in the auction include Alex Hales, Sam Billings and Ajinkya Rahane. They also brought back old knights Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana and Shivam Mavi.
