Shreyas Iyer is one of the best batters in the country right now, but he does not have an IPL contract at the moment. According to reports, the right-handed batter wants a captaincy role. Since Delhi Capitals continued with Rishabh Pant as the captain, the two parties could not come to an agreement, and for the first time in his IPL career, Iyer lost his IPL contract.
The Maharashtra-based player could have received contracts from the new entrants – Ahmedabad and Lucknow. However, neither of the two teams were reportedly interested in assigning their team’s reins to Iyer. So, it seems clear now that Iyer will be in the IPL Auction 2022 players pool. Here’s a list of the three franchises that could now target him as a captaincy option.
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore may sign Shreyas Iyer
Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj ahead of the mega auction. Kohli has clarified that he will not lead RCB going forward, while Maxwell does not have a good record as IPL captain. Siraj does not have captaincy experience. So RCB need a new leader, and they could opt for Shreyas Iyer’s services because he is a proven match-winner in the IPL.
2. Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings have retained the duo of Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh in their squad before the mega auction. While Agarwal captained the Kings in one match last year, it seems unlikely that the Mohali-based franchise will assign the team’s reins to him. They need an experienced captaincy option, and someone like Shreyas Iyer could fit in that role well.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders may target Shreyas Iyer
Another IPL franchise that is in need of an IPL captain is the Kolkata-based Kolkata Knight Riders. They have released their captain Eoin Morgan ahead of the mega auction. Looking at how the last season panned out for KKR, they would have learned one thing, that they must not rely on a foreign captain. Signing an Indian skipper would be fantastic for KKR, and if they can sign Shreyas, it will be the start of a new era for the Knight Riders.
