AB de Villiers Praises Shreyas Iyer's "Incredible" Captaincy for KKR

Former South African skipper AB de Villiers has heaped praise on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer, hailing him as "absolutely incredible" in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

In the 17th season of the IPL, Iyer has led KKR to the top of the points table, becoming the first skipper in the franchise's history to achieve this feat. In 12 matches, he has amassed 287 runs at a strike rate of 135.38.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers lauded Iyer's composure and intelligence as a captain. "Shreyas Iyer has been absolutely incredible. There have been a lot of doubts and talks about him as captain. I punted 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 of captaining a team 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.

KKR have won 9 of their 13 matches so far, losing only to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Punjab Kings (PBKS). They currently have 19 points and a net run rate of 1.428.

In their upcoming match, KKR will face Rajasthan Royals on Sunday at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.

Tags: #KKR, #ShreyasIyer, #ABdeVilliers, #IPL2024, #Cricket