Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit and ex-captain Shreyas Iyer were two of the most influential figures who led the team to their third IPL title in 2024.
Shreyas Iyer had a pretty decent IPL 2024 campaign with the bat, scoring 351 runs from 14 innings at a strike rate of 146.86, which included two half-centuries.
Despite guiding KKR to their third IPL title two years ago, Shreyas Iyer was released by the team management, and Punjab Kings (PBKS) later acquired him for ₹26.75 crore.
That briefly made him the most expensive player in IPL history until Rishabh Pant broke that record after being bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹27 crore.
Chandrakant Pandit on KKR releasing Shreyas Iyer
Chandrakant Pandit opened up on relieving Shreyas Iyer from Kolkata Knight Riders, and admitted that some things didn’t work out for the franchise. “Unfortunately, we missed him,” Pandit told RevSportz.
“Shreyas is a wonderful player who won the trophy for KKR as captain, and I admire the way he handled the team. But sometimes, certain circumstances and broader strategies force you to let such players go.
“Obviously, as a coach at KKR, I felt bad about that. It wasn’t a purposeful omission, but things simply didn’t work out for us. It isn’t only Shreyas; I feel the same about Phil Salt and others. I would really like to show my appreciation for the owners, Mr Shah Rukh Khan, Mr Jay Mehta, and Juhi Chawla, and CEO Venky Mysore. They were all very supportive,” the 64-year-old explained.
The former Madhya Pradesh coach also elaborated on Iyer’s non-selection for the India T20I side. Iyer has not played a T20I for India since December 2023. According to Pandit, competition for spots is one of the reasons why Iyer is yet to be recalled to the T20I side.
“Shreyas has been part of the Indian team and has delivered strong performances. Unfortunately, he was left out, but situations like this are not uncommon. When building a team, there is always the challenge of balancing experience with the need to groom new talent. With the depth of talent available, it becomes difficult to provide opportunities to every deserving player.”
“There is always competition, and often, equally capable replacements are available. That said, Shreyas has been leading Punjab impressively, and his batting reflects noticeable maturity. He plays with a fearless mindset, focusing less on the situation and more on winning the game, which is evident in the way he constructs his innings,” he stated.
The Mumbai cricketer has so far scored 208 runs from five innings at a strike-rate of 182.45. This includes three fifties, which goes to show that Iyer is currently consistent as far as his form is concerned.
Punjab Kings are currently on top of the IPL 2026 standings with 11 points from six matches. They are now the only side yet to lopse a match this season, having won five matches and one match being washed out due to rain.
The IPL 2025 runners-up will next take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in Delhi on Saturday.
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