Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer is set to be released in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction after talks with the franchise over continuity didn't materialise. Iyer joined the Knight Riders after an exceptional spell with the Delhi Capitals in which he led the franchise to a final as well. It was under Iyer's captaincy that KKR bagged their third IPL title, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. However, Iyer's stocks have been falling over the last year or so, with his form and international status taking a big hit.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, Iyer wanted an exorbitant salary to be retained by the Knight Riders. However, the franchise didn't pay heed to his demands. Hence, the middle-order batter is now set to be released in the auction pool.
While there's no denying that there aren't many players of Iyer's caliber available in the market, his fitness issues, recent performances, and absence from Team India's international plans have put a bit dent in his reputation. His current status as a player and salary demand, unfortunately, didn't match in the KKR books.
Iyer was signed by KKR for a price of INR 12.25 crore in the 2022 auction. That season, he went on to score 401 runs across 14 games at an average of 30.85. This year, he scored only 351 runs, at an average of 39, that too including five unbeaten innings. Injury issues saw him miss the 2023 season completely.
A player of Iyer's status is expected to deliver a lot more on a consistent basis. In 115 games of his IPL career, Shreyas has aggregated a total of 3127 runs at an average of 32.24 and strike rate of 127.48.
His under-par performances in the shortest format saw him phased out of Team India's T20 plans. He wasn't a part of the victorious T20 World Cup 2024-winning India squad as well. Also not part of the BCCI Central Contracts, Iyer isn't in the best phase of his career at the moment.
Iyer has reportedly already been approached by a couple of franchises. However, with the unpredictable auction dynamics at play, not much can be said about the team he will eventually join.