“DC or KKR? Who’ll win Shreyas Iyer battle” — Sunil Gavaskar weighs in on IPL Auction

The cricket world’s attention is turning to Jeddah as the city gears up to host the much-anticipated IPL 2025 mega auction on November 24-25. The Saudi Arabian city will witness one of cricket’s biggest player auctions, where franchises will reshape their teams for the upcoming season. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are touted to attract the biggest bids.

Sunil Gavaskar on Shreyas Iyer’s future at IPL 2025 Auction

Amidst the pre-auction buzz, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has shared his thoughts about Shreyas Iyer’s potential destinations. Gavaskar believes Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might want their IPL 2024 winning captain back in their ranks. Speaking on Star Sports’ show ‘Game Plan’, Gavaskar said, “When KKR won last year (IPL 2024), Shreyas Iyer was the captain. As I said earlier for Rishabh Pant as well, at times, there could be a disagreement on the fees.”

However, KKR’s path to re-signing Iyer might not be straightforward. With an auction purse of Rs 51 crore and no Right to Match (RTM) card, the three-time champions could face stiff competition from other franchises.

Iyer’s journey with KKR has been remarkable. After joining the franchise as captain in 2022, he missed the 2023 season due to a back injury but made a strong comeback in 2024, leading the team to their third IPL trophy. His personal performance was equally impressive, scoring 351 runs in 14 innings at an average of 39 and a striking rate of 146.86.

The former Indian captain also pointed to Delhi Capitals (DC) as another potential destination for Iyer. “If KKR don’t bid, I feel Delhi will do that,” Gavaskar observed. The reasoning behind this prediction stems from Delhi’s possible need for a new captain, especially now that they have released Rishabh Pant.