Indian T20 League: Kolkata name Shreyas Iyer as captain

Shreyas Iyer has been named as the captain by Kolkata franchise of Indian T20 League. The middle-order batter, who was released by the Delhi franchise ahead of the 2022 edition of the league, was bought by Kolkata for a whopping sum of INR 12.25 crore in the recently-concluded mega auction.

Iyer has prolific record as captain the league, having won 21 of the 41 games he has led in, while losing 18. Under him, Delhi made to the playoffs twice in a row, and ended up as runners-up in 2020 after losing the final against Mumbai.

Pleased after occupying Iyer’s services, Venky Mysore, the CEO of the franchise, said that he is confident about Iyer’s abilities to lead the team.

“We are delighted firstly to have been able to successfully bid for Shreyas in the IPL auction & to have the opportunity for him to lead Team Kolkata. He has impressed one & all as a quality batsman at the highest level & we are confident that he will excel as a leader of Team Kolkata,” read Venky Mysore’s announcement, as quoted by The Quint.

Iyer reportedly parted ways with Delhi after the management decided to continue with Rishabh Pant as the captain after he led the team in Iyer’s injury-enforced absence. Meanwhile, he was the frontrunner to lead Kolkata ever since he was picked by the franchise.

“I am extremely honoured to have gotten the opportunity to lead a prestigious team like Kolkata. The ITL as a tournament brings the best players from different countries and cultures together and I look forward to leading this great group of very talented individuals. I would like to thank the owners, management and support staff of Kolkata for giving me the opportunity to lead this team,” said Shreyas Iyer.

“I am confident that we will find the right synergies to achieve the team’s goals. Kolkata and The Eden Gardens have a very rich history when it comes to Indian cricket and I look forward to contributing to this rich history and making our fans proud of us as a team! Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo!,” he added.