NEW DELHI: India’s Shreyas Iyer has been appointed captain of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders, the franchise said on Wednesday, succeeding Eoin Morgan who went unsold at the tournament’s recent auction.
Iyer was the costliest player bought by Kolkata, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, selling for $1.62 million in the auction last weekend ahead of season 15 of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.
“We are delighted firstly to have been able to successfully bid for Shreyas in the IPL auction and to have the opportunity for him to lead #TeamKKR,” Venky Mysore, chief executive of Kolkata, said in a statement.
“He has impressed one and all as a quality batsman at the highest level and we are confident that he will excel as a leader of #TeamKKR.”
The two-time champions released Morgan after last year’s edition of the tournament despite the England white-ball captain leading the team to a runners-up finish in Dubai.
The 27-year-old Iyer, who recently hit a match-winning 80 in India’s 3-0 ODI whitewash of the West Indies, led IPL side Delhi Capitals to their first final in the 2020 season, which was won by Mumbai Indians.
“The IPL as a tournament brings the best players from different countries and cultures together and I look forward to leading this great group of very talented individuals,” said Iyer, an attacking batsman who has played 32 T20 matches for India since his debut in 2017.
Kolkata secured a return for Australia’s Pat Cummins, who went to the same team for a record $2.17 million in 2019 but was released last year for nearly $1 million.
Kolkata are coached by former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.
The 15th edition of the IPL begins in late March, with the final in May. — AFP
