'No concrete effort' - Shreyas Iyer spills the beans on retention talks with KKR for IPL 2025
"f you get to know things one week prior to the retention date, then obviously something is lacking over there. So, I had to take a call. Whatever is written is supposed to happen," Iyer said.
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) decided to let go their title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer ahead of the mega auction. The star batter was not retained, which is when Punjab Kings (PBKS) pounced onto his services for a whopping INR 26.75 crore at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.
KKR's move came as a shocker to the cricketing fraternity, as it was the first time that a winning skipper from the previous edition would not feature for a side in the following edition. Recently, the Mumbai batter opened up on why KKR and him parted ways, where the cricketer decided to get his name under the hammer at the auction table that took place in November 2024.
“Certainly, I had a fantastic time winning the championship at KKR. The fan following was outstanding, they were electrifying in the stadium and I loved every moment I spent there. So obviously, we had a conversation straight after the IPL championship. But for a few months, there was a layover and no concrete effort in having a retention talk. I was perplexed about what’s happening. So, because of a lack of communication, we came to a situation where we parted ways, mutually. And that’s the long and short of it," Iyer told The Indian Express.
“Yes, obviously disappointed, because when you don’t have a certain line of communication and if you get to know things one week prior to the retention date, then obviously something is lacking over there. So, I had to take a call. Whatever is written is supposed to happen," the PBKS captain added.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Rishabh Pant named Lucknow Super Giants captain
Speaking of Shreyas Iyer’s performance in the IPL he has played for two franchises so far and has played 116 matches in the franchise tournament with 3127 runs at an average of 32.23. This will be the third franchise he will play for in his IPL career, and will hope to lift the trophy, which could be the first-ever for the Punjab-based side.
Download Our App