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Kolkata Knight Riders won their third ever IPL trophy earlier this year with Shreyas Iyer as captain.
Shreyas Iyer is among the five Indian captains who have won IPL. (BCCI photo)
Kolkata Knight Riders could be in the market for a new captain ahead of the next Indian Premier League season as a report suggests that Shreyas Iyer will be leaving the franchise despite leading them to triumph earlier this year. Iyer was named KKR captain after he was bought for Rs 12.25 crore during the 2022 IPL auction.
According to a report in CricbuzzIyer was reportedly negotiating with the franchise for a bigger paycheck, a demand which KKR has not agreed to, meaning he is not on the retention list. However, that doesn’t mean their story is over as the three-time IPL champion can purchase it using the Right to Match (RTM) card at the mega auction that is expected to take place in November last week.
Former India player Harbhajan Singh had earlier said he expects Iyer to be among the six players KKR will retain ahead of the mega auctions.
“KKR have dominated the entire season so it will be difficult for them to leave or keep anyone. However, since it is a matter of retention, you can only keep a limited number. If I want to see or choose my 6 players, which 6 players will be there for KKR? I think Shreyas Iyer will be there, Phil Salt will be there, Narine will be there, Andre Russell will be there, Rinku Singh will be there,” Harbhajan said Star sports.
Since joining KKR, the 29-year-old has scored 752 runs in 28 games, including five half-centuries. Due to injury, he missed the entire IPL 2023 as Nitish Rana led the team in his absence.
Overall, Iyer has played 115 matches in his IPL career so far and scored 3127 runs at a strike rate of 127.48. Apart from KKR, he has also played for Delhi Capitals.
With a host of teams looking for a new captain, Iyer is likely to be a hot item at the auctions and could trigger a bidding war.
