KKR CEO Venky Mysore catches up with Shreyas Iyer for first time since retention fallout after PBKS’ record win

Shreyas Iyer may have been dismissed for a duck against his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, but he had the last laugh in the low-scoring thriller in New Chandigarh on Tuesday as Punjab Kings secured a record 16-run win to make the top four in the points table again. After the match, he caught up with KKR CEO Venky Mysore for the first time since their fallout over retention for this season back in October last year.

Shreyas captained Kolkata, who had finished seventh in both 2022 and 2023, to a title win last year. It was KKR's first IPL trophy triumph in more than a decade. Yet, the management decided against retaining him when they announced their final list ahead of the mega auction last October.

However, Mysore later revealed that even though Shreyas was their 'No. 1' pick for the retention list, mutual disagreement led to the two parting ways. The India star was eventually roped in by Punjab Kings for INR 26.75 crore at the auction.

"The interesting thing about retention is that there are so many aspects to it and forces as play. But what is fundamental to a retention that most people sometimes don't understand that it's a matter of mutually agreeing. It's not a one-sided right that a franchise has. The player also has to consider various factors and agree," Mysore told Rev Sports in an interview. "Sometimes along the line that agreement doesn't happen because of various factors; money or somebody wants to test their value or whatever it is. That influences a decision as well, eventually, but he was No.1 on our list."

Months later, in an interview with Indian Express, Shreyas claimed that while KKR did have the retention talk after the end of the last season, he was left "perplexed" over no effort from them thereafter, which forced him to opt for the auction.

"Certainly, I had a fantastic time winning the championship at KKR. The fan following was outstanding, they were electrifying in the stadium and I loved every moment I spent there. So obviously, we had a conversation straight after the IPL championship. But for a few months, there was a layover and no concrete effort in having a retention talk. I was perplexed about what's happening. So, because of a lack of communication, we came to a situation where we parted ways, mutually. And that's the long and short of it," he said.

Reunion in Chandigarh

Three months since Shreyas' comment, Mysore caught up with the Punjab captain after a nail-biting contest in Chandigarh. Visuals showed the two having a quick chat after the game, with Sunil Narine present.

Punjab won the game as they beat Kolkata by 16 runs at home, despite being folded for just 111 runs in 15.3 overs. This was the lowest total ever defended by an IPL team in history.