Shreyas Iyer has been named as the new captain of Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Kolkata Knight Riders named Shreyas Iyer as their new captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season on Wednesday. Iyer was purchased by KKR for Rs 12.25 crore at the IPL 2022 super auction in Bengaluru last week.
Shreyas Iyer will take over for Eoin Morgan, who was not retained by KKR and hence went unsold in the blockbuster auction. Morgan guided KKR to the IPL 2021 final, but his form has been a source of concern for the two-time winners, who will be headed by former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.
Iyer joins an exclusive group of KKR leaders that includes Sourav Ganguly, Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, and Morgan. He is the franchise’s sixth captain.

“I am really thrilled to have Shreyas Iyer, one of India’s finest future leaders, assume the helm at KKR.” “I’ve admired Shreyas’ game and captaincy abilities from afar and now look forward to working closely with him to drive the success and style of play that we desire at KKR,” McCullum said.

Shreyas Iyer, who accepted the leadership of KKR, stated, “I am incredibly honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead such a prominent club as KKR.” The IPL as a competition brings together the top players from many nations and cultures, and I am excited to lead this fantastic group of talented individuals. I’d want to thank KKR’s owners, management, and support staff for providing me the chance to lead this team, and I’m convinced that we’ll discover the proper synergies to achieve the team’s objectives. When it comes to Indian cricket, Kolkata and The Eden Gardens have a very deep history, and I look forward to adding to this rich heritage and making our supporters proud of us as a team! Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo!”

Iyer, who guided the Delhi Capitals to their first IPL final in 2020, was not retained by the team prior to the mega auction. As predicted, the star India middle-order batter sparked a bidding battle until KKR snatched him up for a staggering Rs 12.25 crore, making him the most expensive purchase from the 10-man marquee list at the mega auction.
Iyer was signed by the Delhi Capitals in both 2018 and 2021. He bought the franchise in 2015 at Rs 2.6 crore. However, the Mumbai batter’s stock has risen since then. Due to a shoulder injury, he was unable to lead Delhi in the first half of the IPL 2021 and the management of Delhi decided to support Rishabh Pant for the captaincy as he suffered a shoulder injury. From 87 matches Shreyas Iyer has scored 2375 runs. Between 2018 and 2022, Iyer has at least 400 runs in a season, with his highest being 519 in 2020.

KKR won the IPL twice, in 2012 and 2014, with former India batter Gautam Gambhir as captain.