Shreyas Iyer has shown himself to be a great asset for his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. The KKR captain has led the team to be the first one qualifying for playoffs in IPL 2024.
Iyer played 12 matches in IPL 2024, which is also the 17th season where he scored 287 runs at a strike rate of 135.38. The 29-year-old also became the first KKR skipper to finish at the top of the IPL points table.
AB de Villiers showered praise on Iyer despite being criticized by KKR mentor Gambhir
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers praised Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer, saying he has been “absolutely incredible” in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
AB rook to his official YouTube channel, and called Iyer a “wise guy” and a “smart cricketer”. The former cricketer also praised the KKR skipper for not panicking in tough situations.
“Shreyas Iyer has been absolutely incredible. There have been a lot of doubts and talks about him as captain. I punted him from the start of the tournament. He is a wise guy, a smart cricketer and I love the way he is calm and composed as a captain. He never seems to get rushed, never seems to panic even though you know deep down that you feel some panic, especially playing at the Eden Gardens,” De Villiers said.
The South African also highlighted that it must not be easy for Iyer to captain a squad with senior players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell.
“It’s not easy to captain senior players who have been around for ages, especially Narine and Russell. We know that the West Indies have got different personalities, they are outgoing and can be outspoken sometimes. It must be sometimes difficult with a difference in culture to communicate properly with some of these experienced players,” he added.
What’s interesting, is that Shreyas Iyer is the captain for KKR, which is mentored by Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir has recently criticized Villiers on his leadership skills.
AB in a ‘beef’ with Gautam?
Recently, there seems bit of a tension between cricket legends AB de Villiers and Gautam Gambhir. De Villiers is no longer a part of the IPL, or any cricket format, but Gambhir has returned to KKR as a mentor this season.
It all started when AB criticised Mumbai Indians new captain Hardik Pandya. De Villiers said that Hardik’s captaincy wasn’t “always genuine” and was a bit ego-driven
To this Gambhir responded, saying he doesn’t think there have ever been performances in his career from a “leadership” point of view.
“I don’t think he has achieved anything from a team’s point of view, Hardik Pandya is still an IPL-winning captain. So you should only compare oranges to oranges. Not apple to oranges,” Gambhir had said
KKR has lost only three matches in the 17th season. These losses were against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Punjab Kings (PBKS).
In their upcoming match, KKR is preparing to face Rajasthan Royals on Sunday at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
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