'It is in the hands of the owners' - Shreyas Iyer confirms IPL 2021 return, but unsure if he will captain again

One of the most disappointing news that came ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League 2021 was the injury of Shreyas Iyer. The Delhi Capitals player has been one of the more popular white-ball players for India in recent times and has excited fans with his performances. His captaincy has also transformed the Delhi franchise’s fortunes. 

However, with the IPL 2021 getting interrupted and now set to resume in September, fans had started speculating that Iyer will return to the side, making them a lot stronger during the business end of the tournament. Delhi Capitals had missed out on an opportunity to get their maiden title in 2020, but 2021 has given some hopes to finally achieving that. During a recent interaction, Iyer broke his silence around his injury, rehab, and comeback in the IPL 2021. 

Iyer’s injury had sidelined him for quite a few months. It was also stated that he will be in England late this summer playing county cricket, but that didn’t happen due to his injury. In fact, he failed to make it to the Sri Lankan tour as well as he did not recovered in time. During an interaction with the Grade Cricketer YouTube channel, Iyer explained his current state. 

My main aim is to lift the trophy, which Delhi has never done: Shreyas Iyer

“The healing process has been done I believe. Now, it is about the last step of achieving strength and range. So, that is going to take about a month and the training is obviously going on. Other than that, I feel I will be there in the IPL,” Iyer said, hinting at his comeback. Interviewers Ian Higgins and Sam Perry also asked him about the captaincy role, which had been managed quite well by Rishabh Pant during Iyer’s absence. 

“I don’t know about the captaincy. It is in the hands of the owners. But, the team has been already doing well and we are on top and that is really what matters to me. My main aim is to lift the trophy, which Delhi has never done before. So, that is what I am looking forward to,” said Iyer. 

After this, Higgins joked that he would talk to Ricky Ponting, Delhi’s head coach, and try to get the captaincy role back for Iyer as all three of them in the interview shared a laugh. Speaking of Pant’s leadership role, the Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman started his stint as a captain in magnificent fashion, winning six of the first eight matches. Capitals will resume IPL 2021 as the leader of the points table.