"I think he's got the potential to be an absolute superstar" - Brendon McCullum on skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of IPL 2022 opener

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon McCullum believes that skipper Shreyas Iyer has the potential to be an absolute superstar of the game.

The Kolkata franchise acquired Iyer's services for a whopping ₹12.5 crores at the IPL 2022 mega auction last month. He was subsequently appointed as the captain of the two-time IPL champions.

Praising the youngster, McCullum went on to say that Shreyas Iyer could be the franchise's 'player of the decade.' Speaking at a virtual press conference, Brendon McCullum stated:

"He's a great buy. He could be the franchise player for KKR for the best part of the decade. We've got to start somewhere and that's tomorrow."

The former Kiwi captain then went on to add:

"He's already incredibly well-respected around the world for what his game is about and what he's been able to achieve. His best years are certainly in front of him. I think he's got the potential to be an absolute superstar of the game so I can't wait to work with him."

The 27-year-old has been on a run-scoring spree in the recently-concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka, including two half-centuries.

Iyer will hope to continue the same form when the Knight Riders begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday.

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"Tim Southee will miss the first match" - Brendon McCullum

KKR will rely heavily on Indian seamers when they lock horns against the defending champions, with Tim Southee and Pat Cummins unavailable for selection.

Brendon McCullum revealed that the Kolkata franchise will bank on Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi to make early inroads. The 40-year-old said:

"Southee is not available for the first match, unfortunately, just a little delayed with getting over here to India. So, he won't be available for the first match."

He added:

"We would probably go with more of a heavy Indian local players seam bowling lineup. Umesh Yadav was a really good pickup for us in the auction. His ability to swing the ball up front and he's also a wicket-taker too."

"His statistics in the power play are really, really good. And that's what we look to try and use him. So, hopefully, between him and the likes of Shivam Mavi and a couple of the other boys, we're going to be able to hopefully get a couple of early wickets and then allow our spinners to enter the game with us on top."

Along with Umesh and Mavi, KKR have the likes of Rasikh Salam, Chamika Karunaratne and Ashok Sharma in their ranks.

The Kolkata franchise will hope to make a strong start to the tournament and set the tone for their campaign early.