File photo of Anil Kumble.© AFP
After winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released their captain Shreyas Iyer and star opener Phil Salt. The two players thus went under the hammer in the mega auction later that year for the next edition. Iyer went to Punjab Kings, leading the side to the final, while Salt was part of the title-winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru side. Reacting to KKR’s idea of letting go of both the players, former India captain and legendary spinner Anil Kumble said that it was a “wrong decision”.
“Two years ago, KKR won the IPL and lifted their third trophy. Two important cogs in that wheel were Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt. Both played crucial roles in helping them win but KKR let both of them go. There is no consistency from them in terms of player retention. KKR took the wrong decision by letting Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt leave (and) that has left them without an IPL-winning captain,” Kumble said as per a JioHotstar release.
Apart from captaincy, Iyer scored 351 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of 146.86 for KKR in IPL 2024. The same season saw Salt scoring 435 runs at an average of 39.55 and a strike rate of 182.01 for the franchise.
After winning the title in 2024, KKR fared poorly under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane in the following season. The side finished at eighth position with only five wins from 14 matches.
“Yes, Ajinkya Rahane is an experienced campaigner. He has led Mumbai in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. But he has not lifted the IPL title as (a) captain (yet). Having a skipper who has won the trophy gives you an advantage. KKR let go of that advantage. They need to learn how to keep hold of their key players. Otherwise, they will keep struggling and cannot be considered favourites to win the trophy,” Kumble said.
Rahane is most likely to lead KKR in IPL 2026 as well. The side begins its campaign this year with a match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.
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