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Aakash Chopra accuses Shreyas Iyer of lying about 'retention talk' with KKR
Follow UsIn a recent interview, Iyer revealed that he was disappointed with KKR for not retaining him and blamed them for the “lack of communication”
Former India player Aakash Chopra has contradicted Shreyas Iyer’s claim regarding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) not having enough ‘retention talk’ with the batter ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.
In a recent interview with the Indian Express, Iyer revealed that he was disappointed with KKR for not retaining him despite leading them to a title in 2024 and blamed them for the “lack of communication” that eventually led to his entry into the mega auction.
The 30-year-old was bought for whooping INR 26.75 crore by Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the auction, making him the second-costliest player in the history of IPL. Iyer has also been named PBKS' new captain. Chopra, however, claims that KKR did have a “long chat” with Iyer before letting him go.
“Now you start wondering. Let’s look at the past of KKR. You may like or dislike franchises. KKR have tried to maintain their core. Andre Russell or Sunil Narine have always been with KKR. The franchise bought Venkatesh Iyer at an auction when they could not retain him. This is a franchise that invests in relationships," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“Shreyas Iyer was the captain. He should have been in the original scheme of things. KKR did not speak to him — he has said this in an interview. I can now confirm there were discussions between KKR and Shreyas Iyer. They had a long chat. There was no agreement. That’s a separate issue.
“I am not going to spell it out. Shreyas had some apprehensions about how it goes in the auction, ‘if I end up somewhere, then what will happen’. It is interesting what has happened. Sometimes you start thinking, ‘Karma is real yaar’, you never know. I can confirm the discussions did take place. However, Shreyas says there were no discussions. There is some discrepancy. I can confirm there were talks. I, too, have my sources.”
Iyer is currently with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad and will feature in their next fixture against Jammu and Kashmir. He is also part of India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against England and the 2025 Champions Trophy.