'The future of KKR is bright under his supervision'- Irfan Pathan hails Shreyas Iyer's captaincy tactics

Shreyas Iyer’s new captaincy stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders has got off to a good start so far. After leading the team to an impressive six-wicket win in the IPL 2022 curtain-raiser against the title-holders Chennai Super Kings, KKR did lose their next game against RCB by three wickets but, the bowlers ensured that they did not go down without a fight defending just 128.

Meanwhile, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has come forward and heaped praise on Shreyas Iyer’s leadership abilities. Giving further clarification on the same, Irfan has said that the two-time champions’ future looks bright under his captaincy. KKR bought Iyer for a staggering INR 12.5 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction in February.

Shreyas Iyer is a brilliant captain: Irfan Pathan

“Shreyas Iyer is a brilliant captain. Remember, he picked up captaincy midway through the season like Rohit Sharma who was named Mumbai Indians’ captain halfway through the season in IPL 2013. For Delhi Capitals, Shreyas started well under the supervision of coach Ricky Ponting and he kept improving his decision-making skills in his first stint as captain”, said Pathan while speaking on the Star Sports show  ‘Cricket Live’.

“But his captaincy moves are coming to the fore prominently in this season and we will talk more about it as the tournament progresses. He’s a players’ captain. He backs the players at every turn and which is a good sign of a leader. The future of Kolkata is bright under his supervision and we’ve seen glimpses of it in the first couple of games,” he added.

The Mumbai cricketer was reportedly in the Delhi Capitals’ scheme of things in their mandatory retention process as a player but not a captain and therefore, he demanded his release from the franchise for better prospects. The 27-year-old is leading KKR after a two-year full captaincy stint with DC. Under Iyer, Delhi had reached the playoffs for the first time since 2012 during the 2019 season and made a first-ever final appearance in 2020 where they went down to the Mumbai Indians in a one-sided contest.

Coming back to the on-field action, Kolkata Knight Riders will be eyeing a second win of this season when they meet Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 1.