Sunil Gavaskar’s Bold Statement: ‘All the plaudits were given to someone else’

By Kavya Jain 19 May 2025, 08:14 IST

Sunil Gavaskar expressed his displeasure with Shreyas Iyer not getting enough credit for KKR’s win last year. KKR’s mentor, Gautam Gambhir, was mainly credited with their 2024 win.

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer became the only captain in history to lead three different franchises to a playoff qualification. On Sunday, Punjab Kings qualified for the playoffs in the Indian Premier League 2025.

Iyer’s Due Credit

Iyer missed the 2023 season due to a back injury. In the 2024 season, He led Kolkata Knight Riders, who had finished seventh in both their previous seasons, to a title win. However, the defending champions let Iyer go before the mega auction.

Punjab Kings signed him for INR 26.75 crore, and Iyer proved his worth by leading them into the playoffs. Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have also made it to the playoffs along with KKR.

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that Iyer did not receive enough credit for KKR’s win last year. He exposed the unfair treatment the latter faced after their title win in 2024. He criticised the narrative about how Gambhir impacted the team after joining as a mentor.

“He didn’t get the credit for the IPL victory last season. All the plaudits were given to someone else. It’s the captain who plays a major role in what’s happening in the middle and not someone sitting in the dugout. See, this year he’s getting fair credit. No one is giving all the credit to Ricky Ponting,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

Iyer’s Performance

Iyer has had a great year so far with coming into IPL after an incredible stint in the Champions Trophy. He was the leading run-scorer for India and the second-highest overall with 405 runs 11 innings.

He continued his batting form, hitting 435 runs in 12 matches, at a strike rate of 174.70. He also led Punjab Kings to qualify for the first time since 2014.

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