Shreyas Iyer wants to be a “player’s captain” once he dons the Kolkata Knight Riders shirt in the IPL. The 27-year-old India batsman is not new to skippering a franchise, having led Delhi Capitals from 2018 to 2020.
That KKR had zeroed in on Shreyas as a prospective captain became apparent when they aggressively bid for him at the mega auction on February 12.
Shreyas feels he has matured as a leader. “I would be coming in with a much different mindset now. I’m now more mature and experienced in terms of my decision-making and captaincy skills... Really waiting eagerly to work with every individual in the team, and build that synergy which could really help the team perform at a different level. I’m just going to love the responsibility, and I thrive under pressure,” Shreyas told the Knight Riders’ website.
“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 in the same footsteps... Personally, I feel that I’m a player’s captain and I want to create an atmosphere where all of us are thinking towards one goal, which is winning,” he said.
Shreyas is excited at getting the opportunity to work with head coach Brendon McCullum. “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,” he said.
“Obviously I’ve had few interactions with him after the auction. He’s got that calm demeanour and I’m really looking forward to working with him, and to have some very successful seasons for KKR over the years.”
He said he was a bit nervous when KKR bid for him at the auction earlier this month.
“We, all of our (India) team members, were sitting together and watching the Auction on TV. My heart was pumping… I was trying to act relaxed, but you know, andar hi andar se, I was feeling a little nervous. Eventually KKR got me, that feeling was amazing.”
KKR will take on Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2022 opener at Mumbai’s Wankhede on March 26.
