"Should be kicking themselves for releasing this guy" - DC fans slam team management after Shreyas Iyer leads KKR to IPL 2024 triumph
Led by Shreyas Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emerged as the champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They beat the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26.
The summit clash proved to be a one-sided affair, with KKR chasing down a 114-run target in just 10.3 overs to clinch their third IPL title. With the triumph, Iyer became only the fifth Indian captain to win the coveted trophy in the league's history.
Iyer was roped in by the Kolkata-based franchise for ₹12.25 core at the auction ahead of the 2022 edition. The right-handed batter was previously with the Delhi Capitals (DC) for seven years and was even named captain after Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the leadership position in 2018.
However, Delhi handed over the captaincy duties to Rishabh Pant in 2021 after Iyer was ruled out of the season due to a shoulder injury. The tournament came to a half after 29 games due to COVID-19 and was later shifted to the UAE.
While Shreyas Iyer regained fitness ahead of the UAE leg, the Delhi think tank continued with Pant as their skipper. With the batter now leading KKR to a stunning title victory in 2024, several fans took to social media, slamming DC for not giving him a long captaincy tenure.
Here are some of the top reactions:
Certain fans opined that Delhi made a tactical error by backing Pant for the captaincy ahead of Iyer.
"Still find it baffling that Delhi Capitals let go of such a good captain, Shreyas Iyer and went for the 'BRAND' Pant." wrote a fan.
"Unpopular opinion the biggest mistake of Delhi capitals was to remove shreyas iyer as their captain in 2021." commented another.
"Delhi Capitals kicked Shreyas Iyer out of captaincy in favour of Rishabh Pant when he was 100% fit and available in the second half of 2021 IPL season.3 seasons later he's going to be an IPL winning captain and Delhi Capitals are still trophyles." chimed in yet another.
It is worth mentioning that Shreyas Iyer is the only captain to have led Delhi to an IPL final. The side suffered a five-wicket loss to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2020 final.
"By far the best and most balanced team in the competition" - DC co-owner on the Shreyas Iyer-led side's impressive run in IPL 2024
DC co-owner Parth Jindal shared a social media post congratulating Shreyas Iyer, Gautam Gambhir, and the KKR team management on their third IPL title.
He suggested that Kolkata redefined T20 cricket with their fearless approach. Jindal wrote on the microblogging platform X:
"Congratulations to @KKRiders by far the best and most balanced team in the competition - not reliant on any player or players and a team that always had someone step up - kudos to @GautamGambhir @ShreyasIyer15 Panditji and to the KKR mgmt - a truly well deserved title - a team that has truly redefined T20 cricket - absolutely fearless."
Delhi failed to qualify for the playoffs this year. With seven wins and as many losses from 14 fixtures, they finished sixth in the points table.