Robin Uthappa says Shreyas Iyer felt underappreciated at KKR

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa reckons Shreyas Iyer felt underappreciated at KKR despite leading the franchise to glory in IPL 2024. After Iyer was released by KKR, he was bagged for a whopping amount of INR 26.75 crore in IPL 2025 mega-auction.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS ended the league phase with nine wins in 14 matches with four losses and one no-result in IPL 2025. Iyer has played an instrumental role in the success of the Mohali-based franchise as he has led from the front. The right-hander from Mumbai has scored 514 runs in 14 matches at an impressive average of 51.40 and a strike rate of 171.91.

“Shreyas has always been an exceptional captain. You always sensed that he felt underappreciated at KKR despite adding value there. He moved to a franchise where not much had been achieved historically, and then went on to win it for them. That says a lot about his leadership and belief,” Uthappa said in a conversation with JioHotstar.

On the other hand, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting showered praise on Shreyas Iyer for delivering the goods for the franchise, both as a leader and as a batter.

“I’ve known him as a person and as a player for a long time. He’s a quality person, and when you’ve got quality people around your team, when you’re trying to make a difference and you’re trying to change culture, that’s what you need,” Ponting said in a JioHotstar interview after MI’s win, as quoted by India Today.

“If you spoke to the players individually, I think every single one of them would give Shreyas a great rap because he has spent a lot of time with them. He’s pumped them up, he’s given them a pat on the back when they needed it, and he’s given them a kick in the pants when they’ve needed it as well, which is a sign of a really good and strong leader,” he added.

Punjab Kings will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first qualifier at Chandigarh on Thursday.