On Day 1 of IPL 2022 mega-auction, Former Delhi Capitals Captain Shreyas Iyer became the first player to cross the 10 crore mark and has been signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a record INR 12.25 crores. Iyer sparked a massive bidding war between KKR, RCB, DC, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants.
Kolkata Knight Riders were in need of a leadership option, and Shreyas Iyer seems to be a wonderful fit. In yesterday’s ODI between India and the West Indies, the 27-year old was named Man of the Match after playing a splendid knock of 80 runs. He had come in to bat when India were struggling in the first 10 overs. Iyer added 110 runs for the fourth wicket with Rishabh Pant and helped India reach a decent total of 265 runs.
Iyer has captained the Delhi Capitals for two seasons, and in the 2020 season, he guided them to their first ever IPL final. After a shoulder injury last year, he was replaced as the captain by Rishabh Pant. Ahead of IPL 2022, Iyer parted ways with Delhi after the franchise decided to continue with Rishabh Pant as the captain. The flamboyant batter played for Delhi for 7 years.
Here is how Twitter reacted to KKR buying Shreyas Iyer:
Two brilliant pick ups at excellent prices for KKR at the IPL auctions. Shreyas Iyer and Pat Cummins are steals at their prices and both possible captains.
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) February 12, 2022
KKR shelling out Rs 12.25 crore on Shreyas Iyer must be bad news for Eoin Morgan's hopes of an IPL contract: Iyer likely to captain and KKR's remaining budget has already taken a major hit
— Matt Roller (@mroller98) February 12, 2022
Woah! At 12.25, KKR will be very happy bagging Shreyas Iyer. I must admit, I thought it would go much higher.
— KSR (@KShriniwasRao) February 12, 2022
Arrey bhay itna mehnga,😭 pic.twitter.com/xpQuKkoIkJ
— Shivani (@meme_ki_diwani) February 12, 2022
Welcome to Kolkata Knight Riders, Shreyas Iyer. Welcome back Pat Cummins @KKRiders #IPLMegaAuction pic.twitter.com/QkRLnyj7nx
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) February 12, 2022
We love it, they love it too! 💜@ShreyasIyer15 #KKR #AmiKKR #ShreyasIyer #GalaxyOfKnights #IPLAuction #TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/UzjgSMi7zw
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) February 12, 2022
Asutralian pacer Pat Cummins was also re-signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 7.25 crore. Trent Boult was bought for INR 8 crore and R. Ashwin was bought for INR 5 crores by the Rajasthan Royals. The Royals also paid INR 7.75 crore for the services of young Devdutt Padikkal. The Gujarat Titans purchased England’s explosive opener Jason Roy for INR 2 crore. The biggest surprise of the auction was Mr.IPL Suresh Raina and Australia’s gun player Steve Smith, going unsold.
