3 reasons why Shreyas Iyer would be the perfect captain for RCB if KKR release him

Shreyas Iyer has been in the eye of the storm as reports emerge of the possible retentions for each IPL team ahead of the mega auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain is said to be undecided about whether he wants to be retained by the team with which he won the title in 2024 or move elsewhere.

Some reports suggest that KKR don't want to make him their first retention i.e., splurge ₹18 crore on him, and instead use that money on someone like Andre Russell. Other reports claim that KKR are happy to give him the first retention but Shreyas has been offered even better auction money by other teams.

Whatever the case, it seems like the title-holding skipper could be on the move. There would probably be a lot of suitors for him. Punjab Kings need a captain after Shikhar Dhawan's retirement and Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals might also lose their leaders, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, respectively.

We can't even rule out KKR coming back for him if the price is right. But there's one team where Shreyas can fit like a glove - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). We discuss the how and why of it through three points below:

#3 Andy Flower can build something with a new, Indian captain

The first thing that makes Shreyas a good option is that the incumbent, Faf du Plessis, is 40. If RCB retain him, it would be a sign of short-term thinking. That's because though Du Plessis is a good leader -- he recently won the Caribbean Premier League with St. Lucia Kings -- they can't build around him.

The South African has pushed the limits of age to maintain cricket fitness and is still a decent batter at the top of the order. However, it would be wrong to expect consistency for the next two or three years.

Mega auctions are the best time to start building a team. And with how competitive the IPL has got now, it's almost impossible to get 11 players in their prime and align them to a vision well enough so they can chase titles. Instead, you need to build for at least two years of constant progress.

That's exactly what KKR did with Shreyas when they signed him in the last such auction. They already have a relatively new (in tenure, not in experience) coach in Andy Flower who'd have his ideas and would love to build a team from scratch this year, alongside a new captain in his prime, who has done it before.

Like any other overseas skipper taking one of the four precious spots, Faf would be under immense pressure after every bad performance. In the worst-case scenario, if he doesn't have a good 2025, RCB will be left with a 41-year-old overseas captain with not many replacements to look forward to in 2026.

Iyer solves that issue as perfectly as one can ask for.

#2 Chinnaswamy would suit Shreyas Iyer, the batter

Shreyas is a great IPL player but not an IPL great, yet. The only difference between those two is his lack of consistency with the bat. Despite being an excellent batter in Tests and ODIs, he hasn't been able to replicate it in T20Is. The shortest format can even be considered his weakest suit.

However, last season, he put a lot of those fears to rest. Playing everywhere in the KKR batting order, he scored 351 runs at his IPL-best strike rate of 146.86. This included a 39* (24) at a strike rate of 162.50 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB's flat home pitch would suit Shreyas perfectly. The ball doesn't bounce as much as the Wankhede or even the Eden Gardens here and he'd love to play against the spinners on the short boundaries too.

Moreover, RCB, for a long time, have been a team of too many openers and not enough middle-order batters who are flexible to play between number four to six.

Shreyas played that role for KKR last year and even did decently as a finisher in the final overs. If RCB retain Rajat Patidar and get back Mahipal Lomror, their middle order with Shreyas would be among the best against spin in the IPL, a brilliant follow-up after Virat Kohli and perfect for the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

#1 A winner and the most experienced leader

It's hard to be the next-in-line after Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Virat Kohli and Du Plessis in any stream of cricket, let alone as the captain of one of the most popular franchises in the biggest league in the world.

They are all international greats which Shreyas isn't yet. But the one thing he has over all of them is an IPL title as captain. Despite not being as good a T20 player as any of them, Shreyas is perhaps the best T20 captain.

In T20s, a captain's role isn't as big as in Tests but last year with KKR, Shreyas stood out by hardly making any basic errors, being innovative with his bowling changes under pressure and getting the best out of most of his players.

He simply looked like the best captain last year and perhaps he was, with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma both having stepped down from the jobs, the most experienced as well. It's a luxury RCB have never had in the competition and one that would be worth spending big money on.