Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore has revealed a key reason behind Shreyas Iyer’s release from their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 roster. Notably, Iyer led the side to their third title victory in the last edition.
The franchises retained utilized their full quota of six retentions. With Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, the Knight Riders retained their core players for the 2025 season.
However, the franchise let go of players like Iyer, Mitchell Starc and Phil Salt, who all played a key role to help the team in lifting the trophy, Nevertheless, the final retention list was also a tough task for the franchise, as they had to keep their bases ready ahead of the mega auction.
In an interaction with RevSportz, Mysore disclosed that Iyer was expected to be their top retention, but both parties couldn’t arrive at a mutual agreement. According to him, Iyer wanted to test his value in the auction and was released from the squad.
“He was No. 1 on our list (for retention). He’s captain and we have to build everything around the leadership. We picked him for this specific reason in 2022,” said Mysore, speaking to RevSportz.
“What is fundamental to a retention is that it’s a matter of mutually agreeing. It’s not a one-sided right that the franchise has, the player has to consider various factors and agree. Somewhere along the line, if that agreement doesn’t happen because of factors like money or someone wants to test their value, then the decision is influenced,” Mysore added.
How did Shreyas Iyer perform for KKR in IPL?
Kolkata Knight Riders shelled out INR 12.25 crore for securing the services of Shreyas Iyer in the IPL 2022 auction. Straightaway, the 29-year-old was chosen as the leader of the side.
Iyer impressed by scoring 401 runs at a strike rate of 134.56, with a top score of 85. Meanwhile, the franchise could win only six games and couldn’t reach the playoffs. He then missed the 2023 season due to a back injury, and Nitish Rana captained the side in his absence.
The 2024 edition proved to be a successful one for Iyer, as KKR topped the points table with nine victories in 14 games. Then, they went on to prevail over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1 and final to lift the trophy. The right-handed batter contributed 351 runs at a strike rate of 146.86. He led the side brilliantly by rotating the bowlers well and giving everyone freedom to play their natural game.
In total, Shreyas Iyer garnered 752 runs for KKR in 28 games at a strike rate of 140.04 with five fifties. As per reports, Iyer is expected to return to the Delhi Capitals setup, where he found success as a player and a leader.
