IPL 2022: Will KKR flourish under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy? Irfan Pathan responds

Under Shreyas Iyer's leadership, Kolkata Knight Riders has had a mixed start to IPL 2022. However, Irfan Pathan feels its future is bright under him.

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Former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has had a mixed start to the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. However, it has looked bold, strong and determined in the couple of matches it has played so far. Meanwhile, former Indian seamer Irfan Pathan has predicted that the side's future is bright under Iyer's leadership.

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This year, Iyer was appointed the KKR skipper after being roped in during the IPL 2022 Mega Auction in February. He had previously led Delhi Capitals (DC) to the IPL 2020 final before Rishabh Pant took over the duties, and the former was subsequently let go by the franchise. KKR roped him in for ₹12.25 crore, while he replaced Eoin Morgan as the skipper, while the latter had led the side to the final last year.

Speaking to Star Sports, Pathan reckoned, "Shreyas Iyer is a brilliant captain. Remember, he picked up captaincy midway through the season [at DC], like Rohit Sharma, who was named Mumbai Indians' [MI] captain halfway through in IPL 2013. For Delhi Capitals, Shreyas started well under the supervision of coach Ricky Ponting, and he kept improving his decision-making skills in his first stint as captain."

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"But, his captaincy moves are coming to the fore prominently this season, and we will talk more about it as the tournament progresses. He's a players' captain. He backs the players at every turn, which is a good sign of a leader. The future of Kolkata is bright under his supervision, and we've seen glimpses of it in the first couple of games," added Pathan.