ITL 2022: Kolkata appoint Shreyas Iyer as captain for the upcoming season
Shreyas Iyer (Image Credit : Twitter)
Two-time Indian T20 League winners Kolkata has announced India middle-order batter, Shreyas Iyer, as their skipper for the upcoming season, reportedly starting on March 27.
Iyer was bought by the franchise after battling with Bangalore, Lucknow, Gujarat, and his last year’s team Delhi. The right-hander has captained Delhi from 2018 to 2020. In that period, he led the team in 41 games, won 21, lost 18 and two games ended in a tie with a win percentage of 53.65.
In 2019 and 2020, the team went to qualify for the playoffs and final respectively. In 2019, they lost the qualifier two games against Chennai whereas, while in 2020, they had lost the final to Mumbai.
During the ODI series against England at home in March last year, the 27-year-old had dislocated his shoulder and could not remain unavailable for the ITL 2021. Rishabh Pant led the team in Iyer’s absence in the first leg in India.
Even when the Mumbai-born player returned to the team in the second leg in the UAE, Pant continued to lead the team. Last November, Iyer was released by Delhi ahead of player retention.
“We are delighted firstly to have been able to successfully bid for Shreyas in the IPL auction & to have the opportunity for him to lead #TeamKKR. He has impressed one & all as a quality batsman at the highest level & we are confident that he will excel as a leader of #TeamKKR,” said Venky Mysore CEO and MD of Kolkata.
Head coach Brendon McCullum was also excited as Shreyas Iyer took over the reign of the team after Eoin Morgan was released last year. McCullum added that he is looking forward to working with Iyer.
“I am very excited to have one of India’s brightest future leaders in Shreyas Iyer, take the reins at KKR. I’ve enjoyed Shreyas’ game and his captaincy skills from afar and now will look forward to working closely with him to drive forward the success and style of play we want at KKR.”
