Delhi Capitals are set to turn back the clock as they search for a new captain from the next season of the Indian Premier League. Capitals are set to bid a hefty price for Shreyas Iyer, who last played for the franchise in IPL 2021 and has promised him the captaincy.
Recently, Delhi Capitals did not include Rishabh Pant in their reserve list. This means that the franchise will have to appoint a new captain before the next season. Although Axar Patel remains one of the options, they will make a final decision after the auction.
The Capitals have the third-highest purse in the upcoming auction at INR 73 crore, which means they could use a hefty sum to bring Iyer back to their team. Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title and has a good record as captain.
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GMR Group is interested in bringing back Shreyas Iyer
Delhi Capitals co-owners GMR group are keen to bring back Shreyas Iyer for the IPL 2025 season, PTI reported. An IPL official who spoke to PTI confirmed the news. The official also confirmed that other teams might just want in on Iyer’s offer to bring DC into a bidding war.
“There won’t be many teams who want the T20-minded Iyer, but to ensure that DC spends a bomb on the player, they may go into a bidding war for Iyer,” an IPL franchise official was quoted as saying by PTI.
Not only do the Capitals want Iyer back, they want to make him the team captain. Iyer also has previous experience in leading Delhi Capitals.
Shreyas Iyer was not expected to be released after leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last season. But KKR CEO Venky Mysore confirmed that both Iyer and KKR were not on the same page regarding the retention. Iyer asked for a higher amount and finally decided to enter the auction to test his worth.
Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy record
Shreyas Iyer has all the attributes that could make him an expensive buy in the auction pool. Apart from being an international quality player, he is also a good spinner in the middle order, an IPL franchise checks before going after a player.
Iyer also provides the team with a potential captaincy option with proven leadership skills. The 29-year-old previously captained Delhi Capitals and knows the team environment well.
He played in two IPL finals as captain, winning one and losing the other. In 2024, he led KKR to their third IPL victory, and in the 2020 season, he led Delhi Capitals to the final, but unfortunately lost to Mumbai Indians in the summit clash.
What about KL Rahul?
The PTI report also states that Royal Challengers Bengaluru could be a potential suitor for KL Rahul. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh is also on Punjab Kings’ radar after the franchise decided not to retain him.
