The Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum has lavished praise on skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of the IPL 2022 opener against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday evening.
The last time the two sides met was in the IPL 2021 final when MS Dhoni’s CSK defeated Eoin Morgan’s KKR to clinch their fourth IPL title. Now, both the team kick-off the 15th edition of the league with two new captains: KKR bought Iyer for 12.25 crore in the mega-auction and appointed him as their new skipper, while CSK, two days out from the game, announced that Dhoni has decided to step down as CSK’s captain, passing on the duties to Ravindra Jadeja.
Brendon McCullum has opined that Shreyas Iyer has become a big name in Indian cricket in recent times, and has the potential to become a superstar in the coming years.
Brendon McCullum said that he has admired Shreyas Iyer from far.
“Really excited. I have admired Shreyas from far. I have met him when he was playing for Delhi Capitals and I was playing for Gujarat Lions. We exchanged numbers and I gave him my number, but he never called me? I asked him why didn’t you call me, he said I was too intimidated. I said what? Now he is here captaining the franchise, he is a star in Indian cricket. He is well respected throughout the world for what he has achieved. He has the potential to be a superstar of the game,” said Brendon McCullum during a virtual press conference.
One of the talking points about McCullum’s coaching last season was the freedom he had given to his players to express themselves and play without any baggage. The KKR head coach reckons Shreyas Iyer is someone who also concurs with this philosophy and he will make KKR an entertaining team to watch.
“He has got a nice presence and a warming presence about him and he is certainly willing to learn. We have something in common and that is how we want to play the game. Really excited to work with Shreyas, he could be the franchise player for KKR for a decade.
“Everyone saw the style of cricket we played last season, that’s how we like to see the game played. That’s how Shreyas likes to lead and that’s how I like to coach. It is about giving the guys freedom to take the game on. Our message is a simple one, work with your teammates, enjoy your time, and with the bat, if you feel you are in a situation where you can dominate, do that,” Brendon McCullum asserted.
Shreyas Iyer has been in scintillating form recently: after making a stunning start to his Test career, he plundered three consecutive unbeaten fifties in T20Is against Sri Lanka. The next step in his growth is to have a memorable IPL, both on an individual and team level.
