IPL 2025: 3 Reasons Why KKR Did Not Retain Shreyas Iyer
![Shreyas Iyer for KKR [Source: @known_as_KT/x.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1730553838110_shreyas_iyer.jpg?im=Resize=(650,450))
Shreyas Iyer for KKR [Source: @known_as_KT/x.com]
The Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL 2024 and registered their third title. Shreyas Iyer's leadership ended the long drought of trophies. But when KKR released the retention list for IPL 2025, it surprised everybody that they released Shreyas Iyer. Many did not foresee the move of removing a title-winning captain.
As KKR plan for next season, they have shown more faith in experienced campaigners like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, along with youngsters such as Rinku Singh, Harhit Rana and Ramandeep Singh. However, there should have been some big reasons that they decided to look past the skipper who brought them the title last season.
Before we go further, here is a look at how Shreyas Iyer performed for KKR -
Shreyas Iyer’s KKR Career
| Matches | Runs | Avg | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 752 | 34.18 | 140.04 |
Shreyas Iyer proved himself not only as a skipper but also as a valuable member of the batting lineup. During their title run in the last season, Iyer contributed 351 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of 146.86. Despite these stellar numbers, what could have been the reasons KKR decided to release Shreyas Iyer?
Cost Efficiency
Since the release of the retention lists, rumours have made the news that the KKR management was not prepared to pay the wages Shreyas Iyer demanded. KKR might have wanted to go into the upcoming auction with as many open options as possible while keeping their core together. The fact that they could get a dynamic Indian middle-order batter during the auction at a cheaper price might have induced them to take this step.
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Team Composition
While Shreyas Iyer’s numbers suggest that he did a great job for KKR in the middle order during IPL 2024, the fans who have seen them play might suggest otherwise. With the opening pair of KKR clicking in IPL 2024, Shreyas Iyer did not have to do much about building the innings for the team. Infact, for most of the tournament, Iyer had to come in the death phase. His arrival at that stage, along with his tendency to take a few deliveries to settle down, not only slowed the scoring rate for the team but also provided explosive batters like Andre Russell and Rinku Singh with limited opportunities to showcase their skill sets.
Iyer or Gambhir: The real brain behind KKR's title win?
While Shreyas Iyer was leading the team on the field, many fans credit the IPL 2024 title of KKR to Gautam Gambhir. One of the best tactical moves of opening with Sunil Narine during the tournament was seen last when Gambhir was the captain of KKR. It is moves like this that induced many fans to think that the real brain behind KKR’s success was Gambhir. So, the KKR management might have thought of a new captaincy candidate and believed that they could replicate last year’s success without Iyer.
Conclusion
Kolkata Knight Riders are the third most successful team in the IPL. The franchise stresses a lot on data, and they have often come up with methods to make a mediocre-looking side look like champions. While the decision to let off a title-winning skipper might look foolish from the outside, with the analysts working behind the scenes, we might see the Purple Army pulling rabbits out of the hat once again in IPL 2025.
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