IPL 2022: Shreyas Iyer to KKR was the best deal in the auction – Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons Shreyas Iyer moving to Kolkata Knight Riders was the best deal in the IPL mega auction. KKR needed a captain as they didn’t retain Eoin Morgan before the auction.

As Iyer has captaincy ambitions, Delhi Capitals had also released him as they had named Rishabh Pant as their new captain. Iyer was roped in for INR 12.25 crores by KKR and was soon named as a leader.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has impressed as a leader as he had led Delhi Capitals to the final of the tournament in IPL 2020. Furthermore, Iyer has grown as a batter in the last couple of years and he has been a consistent performer.

On the other hand, KKR has got off to a great start in IPL 2022 as they have won three out of their four matches (before their clash against Delhi Capitals on Sunday). Thus, a lot of credit goes to Shreyas Iyer for marshaling his troops in the right direction.

“I think, of all the maneuvers in the auction, Shreyas to KKR was the best deal. I think it’s a tremendous switch for KKR. He has already shown to be a very good captain for Delhi. But it’s his batting. I like his manner. He knows how to control people, which is a lot of what captaincy is all about,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.

Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan believes Rishabh Pant is still in the learning phase as a leader. Delhi has managed a solitary win in their first three matches before their Sunday match against KKR. Pant had led the franchise to the playoff stages in the previous season.

“Rishabh is still in an infancy stage. You’re never quite sure what you’re gonna get with Rishabh Pant. We haven’t seen the best from him as a captain and we haven’t seen the best from him as a bat in hand. Looking from the outside, the best way for Rishabh to captain is to be the flamboyant player that he is. He has to be ultra-aggressive. That’s the style of player he is. If he can get to that level of performance, all the players will follow suit,” said Vaughan.

Vaughan feels Pant will be able to get the best out of his team if he plays his natural attacking game for Delhi Capitals.

“If he goes to his shell and tries to play responsibly because he is the captain, he is not going to get the best out of his team. I think he’s gotta go for it with the bat in hand,” the former English captain further suggested.