The decision made by Kolkata Knight Riders to release Shreyas Iyer before the IPL 2025 Mega Auction left fans surprised. Iyer had led KKR to the Indian Premier League 2024 trophy after a gap of 10 years (2014). The team looked well composed under Iyer and there was no doubt that the team wanted to work further with the skipper. Iyer joined KKR in the year 2022 after making the switch from Delhi Capitals (where he previously led the franchise to an IPL final in 2020) and missed the entire 2023 season due to injury. However, the management assured Iyer that he will be back in action and will continue to lead them. In the 2024 season, Iyer repaid the faith by guiding KKR to their third IPL trophy after earlier successes in 2012 and 2014. However, it seemed the journey of Iyer with KKR was not to continue, the CEO of the team, Venky Mysore revealed that the decision was not solely that of the franchise. The CEO said: Mysore told Boria Majumdar: “Shreyas Iyer was the first name in our retention list. However, the retention process isn’t a one-way street. It is not just about the franchise. It is also about the player wanting to be retained, to continue with the franchise. Of course, Shreyas was the first name in our list. He was the skipper. That’s why we got him in 2022." He added: "However, there are often things that you don’t control. If a player wants to test his market value, and the auction is the best marketplace to do that, it is always fair to let him do so. That’s what we at KKR have always believed in and have backed our players. At a personal level, I share a very good rapport with Shreyas, but it is also true he should have the freedom to decide." Also Read | Sanju Samson to Captain CSK, KKR to Release Cam Green? Former NZ Star’s Bold Prediction Coach Pandit Speaks as Iyer Turns PBKS Fortune Former KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit also expressed his view and confessed that letting Iyer go was not easy, having worked with him when he was part of the 2024 title winning team along with the mentor Gautam Gambhir. To RevSportz, Pandit said: “Unfortunately, we missed him. Shreyas is a wonderful player who won the trophy for KKR as captain, and he has handled the team well. But sometimes, certain circumstances force you to leave such players. Because there are big strategies. Obviously, as a coach, when I was at KKR, I felt bad about that. Because it was not a purposeful thing, but it didn’t work for us." He added: I mean, it’s not only Shreyas, but I also think [Phil] Salt or other players when we talk about it. I would really want to appreciate the owners—Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, Mr. Jai Mehta, and Juhi Chawla—and CEO Venky Mysore. They were all very supportive." The KKR's released batter was bought by PBKS in the auction for 26.75 crores and thus became the one of the most expensive player of the season. The 31-year-old lived up to his price by scoring 600+ runs and leading PBKS to the finals of the IPL 2025, where they lost a tight match against RCB. In IPL 2026, PBKS continued their winning momentum by topping the points table with 5 wins in 6 games, and Iyer leading the side again.