‘KKR made a big mistake by releasing Shreyas Iyer, now they do not have a captain who can win IPL…’ Anil Kumble’s big statement

IPL 2026 : It is now about two weeks since the start of the 19th season of IPL. For which all the franchise teams are busy in preparations. Meanwhile, former Indian team captain and coach Anil Kumble has termed the decision of Kolkata Knight Riders to release Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt as wrong. Kumble warned that unless the three-time IPL champion team understands the importance of retaining key players, they cannot be considered serious contenders for the title.

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Actually, Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL title in 2024 under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt was a part of the team at that time. But, the franchise surprised the fans by releasing both the players before the next season. Iyer left KKR to join Punjab Kings, captaining whom he led the team to the IPL 2025 final for the first time in almost a decade last season. Meanwhile, Phil Salt moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he played a key role in helping the franchise win its first title last year.

“Two years ago, Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL and lifted their third trophy. Two important players in that win were Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt. Both of them played an important role in the team’s victory, but KKR let both of them go,” Kumble told JioHotstar. He further said, “There is no consistency in terms of retaining players in the team. KKR made a wrong decision by letting go of Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt, and because of this they no longer have an IPL-winning captain.”

Kumble said that even though KKR has an experienced player like Ajinkya Rahane as captain, he has not won the IPL as captain yet. He said, “Yes, Ajinkya Rahane is an experienced player. He has captained Mumbai in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. But he has not yet won the IPL title as a captain. Having a captain who has won trophies gives you an advantage. KKR lost that advantage.”

The legendary India player further said, “They (KKR) have to learn how to retain their key players in the team. Otherwise, they will continue to struggle and cannot be considered contenders to win the trophy.” The former India captain praised Iyer’s leadership qualities for taking Punjab Kings to the IPL final last year. He said, “Shreyas Iyer is definitely a captain whose ability is underestimated. It is not easy to win a trophy with one franchise and then move to another franchise. The management, environment and team are all different there. The pressure is also different there.”

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Kumble, the legendary spin bowler, said “…the new franchise he joined had not played a final in the last 10 years, and in his very first season with Punjab Kings, he took them to the final. I was impressed not only with his captaincy, but also with the way he led the team from the front.” “There are some players who have to prove themselves every time. Shreyas is also like that. Even after performing well, questions keep being raised on him. I think his ability is underestimated, but he is a great leader.”