Shreyas Iyer played a vital role in Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR's) triumphant IPL 2024 campaign, but the franchisee opted not to retain him before the mega auctions held in December 2024. Later, Iyer publicly addressed the matter, expressing his feeling of being undervalued and saying that he did not get recognition when he led Kolkata to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

Punjab Kings secured his services for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore in the auctions this season, and the team is already reaping the benefits. Coming up against the Knights, Iyer redeemed his captaincy on the highest scale with a generational defence against his former team.

Iyer was excellent in his captaincy and led the team from the front. At one stage, it seemed KKR were on course for a win with Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi firing all cylinders. But introducing Chahal in the eighth over did the trick for PBKS as the leg-spinner got Rahane out of LBW. The field placements and setting up traps were equally impressive as KKR batters faltered under pressure.

Explaining his thought process after the game, Iyer said, "I wanted the fielders right in front of batters—to put the pressure on them."

Fans also quickly reminded KKR of their decision not to retain Iyer.

"Revenge is a dish best-served cold. Shreyas Iyer pulls off a heist against his former team, who he captained to the title but hardly got credits. Now defends the lowest total in IPL history against them! "- one fan wrote, referencing Iyer's earlier comments.

Praising his captaincy, another wrote: "This is an appreciation post for Captain Shreyas Iyer, who has dunked on ex-team KKR so badly that they will never forget this match in their life. Defending a total of just 111 runs takes a special effort. There is a reason He demanded the 1st retention" - said another.

"Shreyas Iyer with the freaking bowling changes, that too against his former team. This is unbelievable; defending just 111 is something that you see very rarely. What a captain, what a bowling." concluded another.

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