The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday announced Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer, who became the franchise’s most expensive player of the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, as their captain ahead of the 2022 edition of the tournament.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, say hello to the NEW SKIPPER of the #GalaxyOfKnights অধিনায়ক (captain) #ShreyasIyer,” KKR said in a tweet.
Shreyas Iyer was the most expensive buy from the marquee set of players at the auction, fetching a staggering price of Rs 12.25 crore. He is the KKR’s second most player of all time, behind Australian pace spearhead and Test captain Pat Cummins, who was bought for Rs 15.5 crore in 2020.
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The 27-year-old is the sixth player to captain KKR. Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Brendan McCullum, Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan have previously led the side in the IPL.
Beaking the bank on Iyer was a predictable and sensible move by the Knight Riders as they needed a top-order batsman who can lead the side in the coming years. Iyer led the Delhi Capitals to their only IPL final in 2020.
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“He (Iyer) has impressed one & all as a quality batsman at the highest level & we are confident that he will excel as a leader of Team KKR,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.
Iyer said he is looking forward to fulfilling the role.
“I am extremely honoured to have gotten the opportunity to lead a prestigious team like KKR. The IPL as a tournament brings the best players from different countries and cultures together and I look forward to leading this great group of very talented individuals,” Iyer said.
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“I would like to thank the owners, management and support staff of KKR for giving me the opportunity to lead this team and I am confident that we will find the right synergies to achieve the team’s goals.”
