Last night, in IPL 2025, Punjab Kings defended 111 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It was a moment of revenge for PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, who helped KKR lift the IPL trophy last year. Shreyas Iyer was dismissed for a duck against his former team, but with his captaincy and some bold decisions, PBKS managed to secure a memorable 16-run victory, moving back into the top four of the IPL points table.
Despite being bowled out for just 111 runs in 15.3 overs, Punjab Kings defended the lowest total ever in IPL history. After the match, Shreyas Iyer met with KKR CEO Venky Mysore for the first time since their parting over retention disagreements last year. The meeting happened after an intense match, which saw Sunil Narine also present during their conversation.
The retention disagreement
Shreyas had captained KKR to a title victory the previous season, the team’s first IPL championship in over a decade after finishing seventh in 2022 and 2023. However, KKR chose not to retain him for the new season, despite Shreyas being their “No. 1” retention choice. Mysore explained in an interview that retention is a mutual decision between player and franchise, and sometimes, due to factors like money or a player wanting to test their market value, mutual agreements don’t happen. Shreyas eventually joined Punjab Kings for INR 26.75 crore in the mega-auction.
Shreyas’ perspective on KKR
In a recent interview, Shreyas reflected on his time with KKR as a fantastic experience, highlighted by winning the championship. He also shared that despite retention discussions immediately after their victory, a lack of follow-up communication left him confused. “Certainly, I had a fantastic time winning the championship at KKR… But for a few months, there was a layover and no concrete effort in having a retention talk,” Shreyas explained. The lack of communication led to a mutual decision to part ways.
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