'Maybe he was told to change his statement' - Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer's clarification regarding KKR CEO

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer was asked to change his statement about the involvement of CEO Venky Mysore in team selection. Iyer had said in a post-match press conference about the difficulties during team selection and mentioned the head coach and CEO’s involvement as a big factor to consider, which had led a lot of criticism on social media.

In KKR’s next game’s post-match conference, Iyer clarified that he wanted to reveal how the CEO has been supporting the players on the bench and did not mean it in a wrong way. It certainly did not go down well among the fans as there was another incident as well when Iyer was furious about head coach McCullum holding back Pat Cummins for the fast bowlers.

I think Iyer got a rap on his knuckles: Aakash Chopra

Chopra feels that Iyer would have been in a situation with the team management to clear the air around CEO involvement in team selection. He reasoned the McCullum incident as well when Iyer was disappointed with coach’s plans against the Rajasthan Royals. Meanwhile, KKR started the season really well with three wins in four games, but lost their way in the middle after constant changes to the team combination.

“Shreyas Iyer once said in a press conference that the KKR CEO is also involved in team selection. I think he got a rap on his knuckles and maybe he was told to change his statement. He then clarified that he had meant that the CEO motivates players when they get dropped and consoles them, but he isn’t involved in the team selection,” Chopra told on his YouTube channel.

“But I am not sure about that because we saw in one game that he visibly looked upset while talking to Brendon McCullum after getting out against RR,” he added.

KKR will not have the services of McCullum as head coach for the next season and they are likely to change the team setup as well with the current squad failing to put up good performances consistently.