IPL 2024: AB de Villiers hails Shreyas Iyer for his leadership skills this season with KKR

AB de Villiers has lauded Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper Shreyas Iyer for his exceptional performance in IPL 2024, highlighting his calm leadership and impressive batting that led KKR to the top of the points table.

cricket IPL 2024: AB de Villiers hails Shreyas Iyer for his leadership skills this season for KKR osf

Ovaise Shariff

First Published May 17, 2024, 6:44 PM IST | Last Updated May 17, 2024, 6:47 PM IST

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has lavished praise on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer, describing his performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as "absolutely incredible." Iyer has played 12 matches this season, scoring 287 runs at a strike rate of 135.38. Notably, he became the first KKR captain to lead the team to the top of the IPL points table.

Speaking on his official YouTube channel, de Villiers commended Iyer's cricketing intelligence and composure under pressure. "Shreyas Iyer has been absolutely incredible. There have been a lot of doubts and talks about him as captain. I supported him from the start of the tournament. He is a wise guy, a smart cricketer, and I love the way he is calm and composed as a captain. He never seems to get rushed, never seems to panic even though you know deep down that you feel some panic, especially playing at the Eden Gardens," de Villiers said.

De Villiers also acknowledged the challenges Iyer faces in leading a squad with senior players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. "It's not easy to captain senior players who have been around for ages, especially Narine and Russell. We know that the West Indies have got different personalities, they are outgoing and can be outspoken sometimes. It must be sometimes difficult with a difference in culture to communicate properly with some of these experienced players," he added.

With nine wins out of 13 matches, KKR sits atop the IPL 2024 standings with 19 points and a net run rate of 1.428. Their three losses this season have come against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Punjab Kings (PBKS). KKR's next match is against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.

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