"I personally felt I didn't get the recognition I wanted" - Shreyas Iyer's massive claim on IPL 2024 after winning 2025 Champions Trophy

Team India batter Shreyas Iyer expressed his disappointment at not getting due recognition for leading the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to glory in IPL 2024. The 30-year-old captained the side to arguably the most dominant single-season performance in IPL history.

KKR finished atop the points table with nine wins in 12 completed games and swept aside the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 and the final to clinch their third IPL title. Yet, Iyer was not retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. He was instead acquired by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the second-highest price in IPL history at ₹26.75 crores in the auction.

Reflecting on a rollercoaster last year after helping India win the 2025 Champions Trophy, Shreyas Iyer told TOI:

"I personally felt I didn't get the recognition I wanted to after winning the IPL but at the end of the day, as long as you have self integrity and you keep doing the right things when no one is watching, that is more important and that is what I kept doing."

Iyer, however, admitted that the IPL helped him overcome the disappointment of losing his place in the Test side and being snubbed from the BCCI's annual central contract.

"Frustration toh nahi tha because I was playing IPL. The major focus was to win the IPL and thankfully I won it," he said.

Shreyas Iyer was recently appointed the PBKS captain for the upcoming 2025 IPL season, starting March 22.

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"I reassessed where I went wrong" - Shreyas Iyer on winning the 2025 Champions Trophy

Shreyas Iyer played a crucial role in India's 2025 Champions Trophy triumph [Credit: Getty]

Shreyas Iyer was delighted that his hard work following the 2023 ODI World Cup paid dividends, with India winning the 2025 Champions Trophy. The right-handed batter was the side's top-scorer and second overall in the competition with 243 runs at an average of 48.60 and a strike rate of almost 80 in five outings.

"Extremely satisfying. To be honest it has been a journey and I have learnt a lot in this phase of my life where I got out of the contract after playing the 2023 ODI World Cup. I reassessed where I went wrong, what I should be doing, how well I need to focus on my fitness," said Iyer.

He continued:

"I asked myself all these questions and prepared a routine and started focussing on my training and also the skills I added side by side. Once I got continuous matches in domestic cricket, I figured out how important fitness was for me especially when I raised my concerns at the start of the year."

Shreyas Iyer will be in action next when PBKS open their 2025 IPL campaign against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 25.