KKR’s Title-Winning Coach Breaks Silence on Shreyas Iyer Exit: “Didn’t Work Out”
Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL title with Shreyas Iyer as captain in 2024. Then they released him. Chandrakant Pandit has finally explained why.
The former KKR head coach didn’t give much away, but he gave enough. “Certain circumstances force you to leave such players,” Pandit said. “It just didn’t work for us.” Iyer himself said there was a lack of communication — he found out about his release one week before the retention deadline.
The numbers since tell the story. Iyer took Punjab Kings to their first playoff in 11 years in 2025 and now leads the only unbeaten side in IPL 2026. KKR, meanwhile, are bottom of the table with one win from seven. Pandit’s “big strategies” haven’t worked out quite as planned.