There are speculations that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer might enter the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction and join Virat Kohli in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Based on the latest reports, the 29-year-old right-handed batsman might not be retained by his franchise. Iyer’s future with the KKR remains uncertain due to his poor form in the domestic tournaments. If such happens, we could expect a new captain for RCB for the forthcoming seasons.
The right-handed batsman led KKR to its third IPL title and concluded the franchise’s 10-year drought period of winning the prestigious trophy. However, there have been rumors circulating over Iyer’s future with KKR with the possibilities of Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru targeting the former Delhi Capitals (DC) captain.
On the other side, RCB is in search of a new young skipper who could lead the franchise on a long-term basis. As a result, Faf du Plessis might get released ahead of the auction after his disappointing campaign with RCB for three years as a captain.
Shreyas Iyer, who gained huge fame for his IPL 2024 triumph might provide the required encouragement to Virat Kohli’s RCB team that has been desperate to claim its maiden IPL championship title since the inaugural season in 2008.
Let’s find out why Shreyas Iyer could create a sensation by joining RCB if KKR releases him ahead of the auction.
Shreyas Iyer’s collaboration with Virat Kohli’s RCB: A Boon or Bane?
If the three-time IPL winning team KKR releases Shreyas Iyer ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, it could be a huge boon for RCB in the upcoming season due to these reasons:
1. Possibility to become the best IPL Captain:
One of the best achievements Shreyas Iyer holds in his career is winning the 3rd IPL title for KKR under his captaincy. By joining RCB, the team would not only get a batsman to strengthen the middle-order batting lineup but also a captain who can end the team’s title drought. This would help Iyer establish himself as the IPL’s most successful captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who stepped down from their roles in the previous year by winning IPL trophies in five seasons.
Earlier, in 2020, the Delhi Capitals franchise under his captaincy was one of the dominant teams of that season but concluded as the runner-up in the finals by losing to Mumbai Indians. However, it was the first time in IPL history that DC led by Shreyas managed to enter the finals since its inception in 2008.
2. Chinnaswamy Stadium: A Favorite Venue for Shreyas Iyer
Despite a lack of consistency with the bat, it is believed that Shreyas Iyer could return to form at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is RCB’s homeground. In the previous season, the KKR captain scored 351 runs in 14 matches. Especially, his 24-ball-39 run knock that includes 2 fours and 2 sixes at a batting strike rate of 162.50 at the same venue guided KKR to successfully chase a target of 183 runs with a 7-wicket victory and 19 balls remaining.
The flat home pitch conditions could suit Iyer very well as there isn’t much bounce generated compared to Wankhede or Eden Gardens. Especially, the Bengaluru pitch favors spinners and Shreyas Iyer is one such batter, who is an expert in playing against spin bowlers.
Moreover, RCB has been more reliable on the openers in the past few seasons rather than the middle-order batters having the flexibility to bat at the number four to six position.
Shreyas played the role of best finisher for KKR in a couple of seasons. By joining RCB, the middle order will be strengthened only if the franchise retains Rajat Pathidar and Mahipal Lomror in the next season. As a result, RCB could display an excellent batting show followed by Virat Kohli’s contribution as an opening batter, especially at Chinnaswamy stadium.
3. Andy Flower to Groom RCB’s New Captain:
RCB head coach Andy Flower can extract the best potential with Shreyas Iyer as the franchise’s new captain. One of the main reasons why he is considered as RCB’s next captain is because of current 40-year-old skipper Faf du Plessis.
Although Faf has proven brilliancy in leadership skills by winning the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 title for Saint Lucia Kings, it could result in RCB gaining only short-term benefits. This is because the South African batter needs to perform well beyond his age limits, and it would be hard to expect consistency from him for the next two to three years.
However, Andy Flower would have alternative ideas by building a fresh squad along with a new captain, who has done it earlier in his coaching career.
Shreyas Iyer’s Future with KKR Remains in Suspense: Final Thoughts
Although Shreyas Iyer led KKR to win IPL 2024, he might not be the first choice as the defending champions might focus on retaining the West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell as the main retention. For instance, if KKR retains Iyer for INR 16 crores, which is INR 2 crores more than the value of the second choice retention, then an additional 2 crores should be allocated out of the overall budget of INR 120 crores during the auction. This could reduce the funds KKR could spend on other valuable in-form players.
As the last date to submit the retention list is on October 31 until 5 pm IST, there is less than a week left for the franchise to retain upto six core players. It includes the maximum retention criteria of 5 capped and 2 uncapped players with a combination of 5+1 or 4+2. In such conditions, Shreyas Iyer as a capped player has fewer chances of being retained by the franchise.
However, the IPL 2025 mega auction is expected to be filled with interesting twists and turns, and the cricket world is eager to watch if Iyer could continue his stint as KKR captain or not.
