Amidst the preparations for the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026), an old decision of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has again sparked debate in the cricket circles. Team India’s veteran spinner and former coach Anil Kumble has strongly criticized KKR’s decision to release its title captain Shreyas Iyer. Kumble believes that it is incomprehensible for a team that has won the trophy in IPL 2024 to leave its main leader and this decision can cost the team heavily in the future.

Anil Kumble argued that consistency is the key to success in a high-voltage tournament like the IPL. By ousting Shreyas Iyer and swashbuckling opener Phil Salt, KKR has weakened its winning core that had won the franchise its third title. According to Kumble, this decision has put KKR on a ground where they no longer have an IPL-winning captain.

Anil Kumble’s statement

Anil Kumble, speaking on JioHotstar, said that KKR have lost consistency in their winning team by leaving out two most important players, Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt. Kumble said, ‘Two years ago KKR won its third IPL title. Iyer and Salt were two important links in that win, but KKR let both of them go. The decision to drop Shreyas has left the team without an IPL-winning captain.

Giving an example, Anil Kumble said that Shreyas proved his leadership as soon as he joined Punjab Kings (PBKS) and took the team to the finals which was yearning for the title match for the last decade.

Iyer’s captaincy stats for KKR

Shreyas Iyer captained KKR in a total of 29 IPL matches between 2022 and 2024. Of these, KKR won 17 matches, while it lost 11 matches and one match had no result. Iyer’s win percentage for Kolkata Knight Riders is 58.62, making him the franchise’s most successful captain ever.