Former India captain Anil Kumble has slammed the three-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for releasing two of their best players, who helped KKR win the IPL 2024 tournament in Phil Salt and then-captain Shreyas Iyer.
Kumble states that unless KKR understands the importance of retaining key players, it cannot be considered a serious title contender.
Iyer joined Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 and took them to the final of the tournament, while Phil Salt joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), forming a deadly opening combo with Virat Kohli, helping them win the title in IPL 2025.
"Two years ago, KKR won the IPL and lifted their third trophy. Two important cogs in that wheel were Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt. Both played crucial roles in helping them win, but KKR let both of them go. There is no consistency from them in terms of player retention. KKR took the wrong decision by letting Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt leave, and that has left them without an IPL-winning captain,” Kumble noted on JioHotstar.
Kumble pointed out that although Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of KKR, is a seasoned campaigner, he has not yet won an IPL as captain.
“Yes, Ajinkya Rahane is an experienced campaigner. He has led Mumbai in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. But he has not lifted the IPL title as (a) captain (yet). Having a skipper who has won the trophy gives you an advantage. KKR let go of that advantage. They need to learn how to keep hold of their key players. Otherwise, they will keep struggling and cannot be considered favorites to win the trophy," Kumble added.
The former India captain heaped praise on Iyer's leadership qualities for guiding Punjab Kings into the IPL final last year.
"Shreyas Iyer is certainly an underrated skipper. It is not easy to win a trophy with one franchise and then go to another. There is a different management, atmosphere, and team. The pressure is also different. The new franchise he joined had not played in the final in the last 10 years, and in just his first season with the Punjab Kings, he took them to the final. I was not just impressed by his captaincy but also by the way he led the team from the front.
There are some players who have to prove themselves every time. Shreyas is like that. Even after performing, questions still come up. I think he is underrated but is an exceptional leader,” Kumble praised Iyer.
India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, on the other hand, described Sunrisers Hyderabad's opening combo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head as "more destructive" than the erstwhile Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first-wicket combination of Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle.
“In the last couple of seasons, what we have seen from the openers of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, I can certainly say they are one of the most destructive opening pairs in IPL history. Both are batters who know how to attack from ball one. SRH has consistently crossed the 250-run mark in the last couple of seasons thanks to them. No other team in the IPL has done that consistently,” Pujara said on the same show.
“When we talk about aggressive opening pairs in the IPL, the pair of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli comes to mind. But this duo of Head and Abhishek is even more destructive. No bowler wants to run in and bowl against an opening pair like Abhishek and Head,” he added.
Pujara said SRH, who have remained a formidable side, given their strength across departments, will have to improve their away record.
“SRH are a very destructive side and score a lot of runs when they play at home in Hyderabad. But away from home, their record is very poor. When they play away matches, they fail to maintain their destructive batting intent. That is because all the teams know that SRH rely on their batting power to set big totals," he said.
(PTI inputs)
