IPL 2025 Retention Rumour Ahead of Deadline Day: A couple of days ahead of the deadline of the retention day, there are many rumours doing the rounds. Is PBKS eyeing Shreyas Iyer? As per multiple reports doing the rounds, it is unlikely that Kolkata Knight Riders would retain their captain. Punjab Kings , who would look to start from scratch, may eye Iyer as their captain. Iyer led KKR to their third title in 2024 and Ricky Ponting, who is the head coach of PBKS, would be interested in having a stable captain. 

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Iyer-Ponting Combo

In the past, Iyer also led Delhi Capitals to the summit clash in 2020. That year, it was Iyer and Ricky Ponting in charge of the Capitals. At DC, Iyer and Ponting helped the side win 21 out of 36 games. 

For KKR, it will be a big decision to leave him out. But with the likes of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Varun Chakravarthy in their side, it will be very difficult for them to accommodate Iyer. 

In the 2024 season, Iyer led KKR majestically well. Iyer trusted his players a lot and eventually that paid dividends. For example, Mitchell Starc was off colour in the first half of the season, yet Iyer showed faith in him and backed him to the hilt. Starc turned out to be the game-changer in the knockout stages of IPL 2024. 

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Why Iyer Over Others

What also works in favour of Iyer is that PBKS will play their home games at Mullanpur or Dharamsala. Both these venues will suit his free-flowing style of play. With the bat, Iyer can be devastating against pace inside the powerplay and can take the spinners apart as well. 

All teams have to submit their retained players list by October 31.