'Don't do what you did with Morgan' - Mohammad Kaif wants KKR to pick Shreyas Iyer as first retention

With the retention regulations for IPL 2025 out and BCCI releasing the deadline for finalising retentions, there have been a lot of discussions over the players franchises like KKR and MI will retain, given the abundance of options in their arsenal.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has shared his thoughts on what should be KKR's approach in terms of their retentions, emphasising the crucial decision of retaining skipper Shreyas Iyer. Kaif also opined on the strategy KKR could employ while using the Right To Match card mode.  

"You cannot do what you did with Morgan. He led the side to the final, but was released later and KKR struggled in the next 2-3 seasons. Retain Iyer first and let him continue as captain. After that, (think of) Phil Salt, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine. These 3-4 players, they will have to retain. Two players need to let be out in the auction and bring them back from there," stated Kaif, in a discussion with Star Sports.

Also Read: KKR should retain Shreyas Iyer, don’t think Shah Rukh Khan will allow him to go: Aakash Chopra

If he can manage so many players and win the trophy, he deserves to be the first: Kaif 

Kaif also justified why he thinks Iyer should be the first player to be retained. He opined that the franchise should be ready to overlook his poor batting form and give more weightage to his leadership skills.

“When a team wins and becomes a champion, then you want the main players to continue playing for the team. So, they would want to retain the maximum number of players, use RTM on a few and also buy fewer players in the auction. Talking about Iyer's batting, he may not play that well. But about his role as a captain, to lead the team to the title is a big thing. I think he has improved as a captain, he is getting better. If he can manage so many players and win you the trophy, then he deserves to be the first (to be retained),” added Kaif.

Also Read: I believe the rules will keep changing till MS Dhoni wants to play IPL: Mohammad Kaif

In the 14 innings he featured in during IPL 2024, Iyer could manage only 351 runs. He was a whopping 26th on the list of the leading run-getters for the season, but was instrumental in helping KKR claim their third title, their first after a decade-long wait.