"Shreyas Iyer Felt Underappreciated At KKR": IPL Veteran, Who Played For Kolkata, Makes Big Claim

The man behind Punjab Kings' resurrection, Shreyas Iyer, proved why he is one of the finest leaders in the T20 game at present. After winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Iyer arrived at PBKS, a franchise that hasn't won a single trophy yet ahead of the 2025 campaign. Despite being ridiculed initially, Iyer proved that he has the ability to get the best out of his players. Behind his PBKS success, however, also lies the agony of being 'underappreciated at KKR, according to former India star Robin Uthappa.

In a chat on JioStar, Uthappa, who also played for the Knight Riders in the past, said that Iyer wasn't pleased with his status at the franchise last year. Hence decided to quit.

"Shreyas has always been an exceptional captain. You always sensed that he felt underappreciated at KKR despite adding value there," Uthappa said.

"He moved to a franchise where not much had been achieved historically, and then went on to win it for them. That says a lot about his leadership and belief," he added.

Punjab progressed to the Qualifier 1 after a victory against Mumbai Indians in their final league game of the season. But, the job is far from over the management's pursuit remains earning the team its first-ever title in the T20 league.

"You want momentum at the right point in the tournament and the right kind of impetus going into the play-offs. Punjab started the tournament exceptionally well, lost a bit of steam towards the back end of the league stage, but regained momentum just before the play-offs," said Uthappa.

"Granted, they're losing a player or two to national duty, but even within the squad, the batting line-up looks really solid. For me, Arshdeep Singh hasn't quite fired yet, and that actually augurs well for Punjab. It means he's due for a big performance and will be raring to go in crucial games," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Kolkata Knight Riders Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer Robin Uthappa IPL 2025 Cricket