Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble chastised Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for their inability to retain their best players over the years. He pointed to the team losing their captain, Shreyas Iyer,
and top-scorer Phil Salt after the title-winning 2024 campaign to say that until they learn how to keep hold of such key performers, the franchise ‘cannot be considered favorites’.
Unfortunately for KKR, the IPL 2024 season was followed by a mega-auction year. Thus, each team was allowed to retain up to six players via a combination of retentions and Right to Match (RTM) cards. KKR retained most of their core, except for Iyer and Salt. The two went on to play the IPL 2025 final for Punjab Kings as captain and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as an opener, respectively.
“Two years ago, KKR won the IPL and lifted their third trophy,” Kumble said, speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Out of the Park’. “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. That has left them without an IPL-winning Captain. 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 Captain. 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,” he added.
There were several reports around Iyer’s exit. Some said KKR didn’t communicate with the skipper until late in the retention window, while others claimed that the Mumbaikar asked for an extraordinary retainer sum, which the franchise didn’t want to pay.
‘Underrated skipper’
Kumble was all praise for Iyer, who took his batting up a notch to take PBKS to the final in 2025.
“Shreyas Iyer is certainly an underrated skipper. It is not easy to win a trophy with one franchise and then go to another. There is a different management, atmosphere and a team. The pressure is also different. The new franchise he joined had not played in the final in the last 10 years and in just his first season with the Punjab Kings, he took them to the final. I was not just impressed by his captaincy, but the way he led the team from the front. There are some players who have to prove themselves every time. Shreyas is like that. Even after performing, questions still come up. I think he is underrated, but is an exceptional leader,” he said.
Catch all the action from TATA IPL 2026 March 28 onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
