Was Letting Shreyas Iyer Go KKRs Biggest Mistake?

Kolkata Knight Riders had been the most dominant team in the IPL till 2024. But since then, it has been challenging for the team to even secure wins in the tournament. As of now in IPL 2026, the team is yet to secure its first win of the season even after playing five games.

Kolkata Knight Riders are now questioning their choices after a poor start in the IPL 2026 season. The team has played five games and are yet to secure a win in the campaign. This comes as a major setback for a team like them, as they used to dominate in the IPL just less than two years ago.

And now, it has been challenging for the team to even grab a win in the IPL. In the IPL 2024 season, the team did wonders having Shreyas Iyer as the skipper. They were also able to get the biggest final win of all-time IPL history, as the team bagged an 8-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the third title.

After that, the Mega Auction happened and it changed things for KKR. The team didn't retain Shreyas Iyer, and he was eventually bought by Punjab Kings. Looking at both teams after the mega auction, Punjab Kings are constantly dominating in the tournament, as KKR struggles to grab wins.

Let's take a look at KKR's dominance and current fallout.

IPL 2024 Champions

The IPL 2024 season saw Kolkata Knight Riders dominating the tournament at their very best. It even reminded the fans of how the team used to perform back when they won the titles in 2012 and 2014. Under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, Kolkata Knight Riders finished the league stages at the top with 9 wins and 3 losses in 14 games.

Eventually in the Qualifier 1, they went against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With Mitchell Starc's bowling prowess, Hyderabad was bowled out for just 159 runs, despite having a strong batting line-up. Kolkata Knight Riders chased down this target with 8 wickets remaining and marched into the finals.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

In the finals, the team went against Sunrisers Hyderabad yet again. This time Sunrisers Hyderabad was bowled out for just 113 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders completed the chase easily, winning the game by 8-wickets and 57 balls remaining.

The Auction Which Changed Everything

The victory grabbed by KKR in IPL 2024 was just before the Mega Auction. And the team had to make some tough calls, as they would be retaining a few players and releasing the remaining. At this moment, KKR decided to release the skipper, Shreyas Iyer from the line-up and went on to regain the other players.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Even in the auction, the team was not able to get Shreyas Iyer to their line-up, as Punjab Kings bought him up for a good price. Following this, KKR had already brought Ajinkya Rahane to their team and they decided to make Rahane the new captain. This was thought to be a bold decision made by the team but it didn't come out as expected.

Downfall from IPL 2025

KKR entered the IPL 2025 season as the defending champions and a strong line-up. But it was still not enough for the team to grab wins, as they had much better players in the last season, as compared to their squad strength now. Despite being the defending champions, KKR was not even able to make it to the playoffs of the IPL 2025 edition.

The team finished 8th in the standings with just 5 wins in 14 matches. Fans expected that they would regain momentum in the IPL 2026 season and bounce back stronger. But that didn't happen. This time the team went for players such as Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Kartik Tyagi, Tim Seifert, and many more in the auction.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

But it was still not enough to help them get back to the track. Kolkata Knight Riders have maintained their spot at the bottom of the table in this season, as they stand as the only team which is yet to secure a win. Under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders have won just 4 out of 18 games in the IPL.