Shreyas Iyer excited to play under coach Brendon McCullum, says he is a ‘risk-taker’

Kolkata’s most expensive bid of 12.5 crores in this mega auction, Shreyas Iyer was appointed as their captain for the 2022 season. He had some success with the Delhi team when he was their captain. Kolkata will have similar expectations from him this season.

The 27-year old last played with Ricky Ponting as their coach, and now he will play with another great of the game, Brendon McCullum. Speaking in an interview, Iyer showed his excitement to share the leadership with him.

In an interview posted by Kolkata’s Twitter handle, he said that Brendon McCullum was an ‘aggressive coach’ and an aggressive player when he played for New Zealand. He also pointed out that McCullum looked very composed in the few interactions that they have had.

“Brendon McCullum as a coach I feel is very aggressive. Even when you saw him playing for his country (New Zealand), he was someone who was very aggressive and he is kind of a risk-taker. And I absolutely love that. Obviously, I’ve had few interactions with him after the auction. He’s got that calm demeanor and I’m really looking forward to working with him, and to have some very successful seasons for KKR over the years,” he said.

I would like to follow the same footsteps – Iyer on Kolkata’s past players

Iyer also believed that Kolkata has had some great players in the past, and he would want to follow what they did for the team. Kolkata has had some world-class captains in the past. From Sourav Ganguly to Gautam Gambhir to Eoin Morgan, they have had a variety of successful captains. Gambhir was the most successful captain as he led the side to two title wins.

“You know, for me to be part of the KKR family is an enormous feeling. I want to really appreciate the work which has been done by all the great players in the past and I would like to follow the same footsteps, which they have created for KKR,” Iyer said.