File photo of Shreyas Iyer.© BCCI
Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers showered praise on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer and said he has been “absolutely incredible” in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. In the IPL 2024, Iyer played 12 matches in the 17th season where he scored 287 runs at a strike rate of 135.38. The 29-year-old also became the first KKR skipper to finish at the top of the IPL points table. Speaking on his official YouTube channel, De Villiers called Iyer a “wise guy” and a “smart cricketer”. The former cricketer also praised the KKR skipper for not panicking in tough situations.
“Shreyas Iyer has been absolutely incredible. There have been a lot of doubts and talks about him as captain. I punted him from the start of the tournament. He is a wise guy, a smart cricketer and I love the way he is calm and composed as a captain. He never seems to get rushed, never seems to panic even though you know deep down that you feel some panic, especially playing at the Eden Gardens,” De Villiers said.
He added that it is not easy to captain a squad with senior players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell.
“It’s not easy to captain senior players who have been around for ages, especially Narine and Russell. We know that the West Indies have got different personalities, they are outgoing and can be outspoken sometimes. It must be sometimes difficult with a difference in culture to communicate properly with some of these experienced players,” he added.
After winning 9 of 13 matches, KKR stand at the top of the IPL 2024 standings with 19 points and have a net run rate of 1.428. The Kolkata-based franchise only lost three matches in the 17th season which came against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Punjab Kings (PBKS).
In their upcoming match, KKR will take on Rajasthan Royals on Sunday at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
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