Ex-KKR Coach Explains Decision Behind Letting Shreyas Iyer Go

Kolkata Knight Riders made one of the worst mistakes by releasing Shreyas Iyer after IPL 2024. Now with Iyer leading Punjab to the top, KKR struggles to even secure wins in the tournament. Former KKR Head Coach, Chandrakant Pandit opened up on this decision by the team.

Two years back, fans used to see Kolkata Knight Riders as one of the most dominant teams in the tournament. They won the final by 8 wickets, and had a strong squad being led by Shreyas Iyer. But after the tournament finished, the team released Shreyas Iyer from their squad, which came out to be a tough decision.

Later in the Mega Auction, Shreyas Iyer was not retained by KKR and was bought by PBKS. The destiny changed for both teams. PBKS went on to play the finals in IPL 2025 and stand among the top teams in IPL 2026. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders stand at the bottom of the table, with the team struggling to secure wins.

Looking at the same, Chandrakant Pandit, former Head Coach of KKR spoke on Shreyas Iyer. He said, “Unfortunately, we missed him. Shreyas is a wonderful player who won the trophy for KKR as captain, and the way he has handled the team. But sometimes, certain circumstances force you to leave such players.”

Our Take

The comments passed by Chandrakant Pandit shows that there were a few reasons due to which the team didn't go with Shreyas Iyer. And for those decisions, the circumstances have gone even worse for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Eventually, Chandrakant Pandit also got replaced by Abhishek Nayar when his tenure as the Head Coach of the team came to an end. Even though the captain and Head Coach have changed, the situation of KKR has not improved.