IPL Auction 2025: Shreyas Iyer, KKR finally begin retention talks amid uncertainty over batter’s future

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have reached out to Shreyas Iyer over the talks of retentions as the deadline is about to end. Notably, there were no talks between the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise and skipper Shreyas Iyer over the matter in the past.

Shreyas Iyer led the side to victory in IPL 2024 with the help of mentor Gautam Gambhir. KKR defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final to win their third IPL trophy after 2014. Interestingly, Gambhir also led the side in the 2014 and 2012 seasons as skipper and captured trophies for the team.

Interestingly, Gambhir was appointed as the mentor of KKR just ahead of the tournament. KKR, which failed to qualify in the previous season, showed a one-sided dominance in the league to win the title.

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Kolkata Knight Riders reach out to Shreyas Iyer over IPL 2025 retentions

According to reports by Times of India, Kolkata Knight Riders have now reached out to Shreyas Iyer over talks of IPL 2025 retentions. BCCI has set a deadline of October 31 for the final retention list for all 10 franchises.

According to reports, Iyer is also not the first-choice retention for the franchise and they might use a Right To Match (RTM) card to grab him.Players like Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, and Sunil Narine are rumoured to be the franchise's top favourites for the retention list.

Moreover, they need to Right To Match for names like Varun Chakravarthy and Mitchell Starc, who played a leading role in the bowling department to lead KKR to victory.

Also Read: Watch: Ramiz Raja explodes, breaks silence on controversial Shan Masood interview

Shreyas Iyer in demand due to his captaincy skills

Shreyas Iyer is a popular name in IPL for his ability to lead the side. Iyer also showed successful leadership skills with his previous franchise Delhi Capitals and led the side to the final in IPL 2019.

Iyer was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction for Rs. 12.25 crore. The franchise also nominated him as the skipper. Due to an injury, he did not lead the side in the 2023 season and Nitish Rana was named the skipper in his absence.

Just in his third season, he proved his worth as skipper to the franchise. As a result, if he goes into auction in IPL 2025, some franchises will leave no stone unturned to grab him into the squad.

Also Read: Watch: Ramiz Raja explodes, breaks silence on controversial Shan Masood interview

Gautam Gambhir will not be KKR mentor in IPL 2025

Interestingly, Shreyas Iyer will be a crucial member of KKR in IPL 2025 as they will also miss the services of mentor Gautam Gambhir. The latter has taken up the role of India Head Coach and will not be available for any coaching roles in IPL 2025.

Notably, KKR support staff and Gambhir's aides Ryan Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar have also taken up coaching roles with the Indian Team. Hence, Kolkata Knight Riders will witness a lot of changes in the leadership and support stage if they part ways with Iyer too.