Amid rumours of Shreyas Iyer leading KKR’s retention race ahead of the IPL 2025 auction late last year, the India international and the IPL 2024 champions parted ways, with KKR opting to retain six players but Iyer. The middle-order batter helped Kolkata Knight Riders win their third IPL title, beating SunRisers Hyderabad in the finale.
Fast-forward to January 2025, Iyer is named the new captain of Punjab Kings (PBKS), with the IPL franchise splurging $3.09mn (INR 26.75 crore) – a record price in the auction history. Although he held the record of the most expensive player ever (for a few minutes), LSG bagging Rishabh Pant for a whopping $3.11m (INR 27 crore) surpassed his figures.
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Meanwhile, for the first time since parting ways with KKR, for whom he played two seasons (2022-2204), missing the 2023 edition with an injury, Iyer broke his silence on what happened behind the scenes. Dismissing reports of him seeking more money being the reason behind KKR’s call, Iyer said ‘lack of communication’ led to the fallout between them.
"Certainly, I had a fantastic time winning the championship at KKR,” Iyer said in a chat with the Indian Express.
“The fan following was outstanding; they were electrifying in the stadium and I loved every moment I spent there. So, obviously, we had a conversation straight after the IPL championship. But for a few months, there was a layover and no concrete effort in having a retention talk.
“I was perplexed about what was happening. So, because of a lack of communication, we came to a situation where we parted ways mutually. And that’s the long and short of it," he said.
‘Disappointing’
Iyer didn’t mince his words to admit that he expected KKR to act quickly and not take until one week before the retention date to discuss the future. The star India batter said he had to take a call, and what happened afterwards was perhaps written in the stars.
"Yes, obviously disappointed because when you don’t have a certain line of communication and if you get to know things one week prior to the retention date, then obviously something is lacking over there. So I had to take a call. Whatever is written is supposed to happen," he added.
Meanwhile, Iyer reunites with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting at the PBKS, who joined their backroom staff as the new coach.
The 18th edition of the IPL begins on March 21 weekend.
(With inputs from agencies)