Shreyas Iyer’s leadership qualities are under the spotlight after guiding the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title. Due to his huge achievement this season, KKR’s head coach, Chandrakant Pandit, has even gone so far as to claim Iyer is worthy enough to be India’s future captain!
Shreyas Iyer and his pedigree as a leader
Iyer’s leadership credentials are bolstered by his unique IPL feat. He’s the first captain to take two different franchises to the IPL finals. Previously, he led the Delhi Capitals (DC) to the 2020 IPL finals. His aggressive captaincy has been his hallmark, demonstrating his ability to adapt his leadership style to different team dynamics.
In his IPL career, Iyer has led 70 matches, out of which he has been on the winning side 38 times. His win percentage of 54.28 is better than other established captains like Virat Kohli (46.15), David Warner (48.19) and Kane Williamson (47.82).
What did Chandrakant Pandit have to say about Iyer?
Iyer’s temperament is a key factor in this talk. Pandit lauded his composure, saying as quoted by TOI “I would give a lot of credit to Shreyas. He’s been a fantastic captain, very calm and cool. He was receptive to our suggestions and handled the team well on and off the field. With KKR, he showed the qualities which make him worthy for India captaincy in the future.”
Shreyas Iyer and his tussle with BCCI
Prior to his success in IPL 2024, Shreyas Iyer was tussling with his place in the Indian team. The crux of the issue lied in Iyer’s omission from the BCCI’s central contracts list in February 2024. The BCCI reportedly took this action due to Iyer’s absence from several Ranji Trophy matches, the premier domestic tournament in India. Iyer, however, maintains that he had a genuine reason for missing the games – a back issue. During the eve of IPL 2024 final, Iyer himself confirmed that he communicated this to the BCCI and NCA, but his claims were seemingly not accepted.
