Did Shreyas Iyer Get His Due After Kolkata's Third IPL Title Win In 2024? Former KKR Star Makes Shocking Claims

IPL 2026: Former cricketer Aakash Chopra revealed the reasons why Shreyas Iyer failed to receive due credit after leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

Under Iyer’s captaincy, the Kolkata-based franchise delivered a stupendous performance in the 2024 edition of the cash-rich league. The 31-year-old guided the Knight Riders to a commanding eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final of IPL 2024.

After securing Kolkata’s third IPL crown, Iyer parted ways with the Knights. During the IPL 2025 mini-auction, the 31-year-old joined Punjab Kings (PBKS). In IPL 2025, the top-order batter led the Punjab-based franchise to the final, but they suffered a narrow six-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

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KKR Star Reveals Reason Why Iyer Failed To Receive Due Credits

Speaking on Star Sports, Aakash Chopra said that Iyer’s contribution as KKR’s leader was overshadowed in IPL 2024. He explained that Iyer was part of a set-up where the coach or mentor had a dominant personality.

“I think his contribution as a leader got diluted a bit in the narrative that’s often set by people who are not a part of the team. Two things happened at KKR with Shreyas Iyer. He was in a setup where the coach was also a very strong and popular personality. That wasn’t the case with MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma, or even Virat Kohli at RCB, where there wasn’t such a dominant figure outside calling the shots,” Chopra said.

The former cricketer further added that this was not the case with Dhoni, Rohit, or Kohli, who were already established India captains. He concluded by saying that Iyer is now beginning to get his due recognition because of his performances.

“Here, you had Gautam Gambhir, a very successful player and a very good mentor. The others — MS, Rohit, and Kohli — have been India captains for a significant period and very successful ones. Credit is already given to them on a platter. In Shreyas’ case, he is not an India captain. But he is now getting his due, because he is doing so well,” he added.

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Shreyas Iyer's Numbers In IPL

Shreyas Iyer has played 133 IPL matches and 132 innings, scoring 3,731 runs at a strike rate of 133.34 and an average of 34.22. He has registered 27 half-centuries but is yet to score his maiden century in the cash-rich league.