Kolkata Knight Riders choose Shreyas Iyer to replace Eoin Morgan as captain

The Knight Riders confirmed the appointment of Iyer on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has captaincy experience in the IPL, having skippered Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final

Shreyas Iyer will captain Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2022 Indian Premier League.

Iyer takes over from Eoin Morgan, who led KKR to the 2021 final but was not picked up by the franchise in the mega auction over the weekend.

The Knight Riders confirmed the appointment of Iyer on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old has captaincy experience in the IPL, having skippered Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final.

^{Shreyas Iyer has been named as the new Kolkata Knight Riders captain}

"I am extremely honoured to have gotten the opportunity to lead a prestigious team like KKR," Iyer said.

"The IPL as a tournament brings the best players from different countries and cultures together and I look forward to leading this great group of very talented individuals.

"I would like to thank the owners, management and support staff of KKR for giving me the opportunity to lead this team and I am confident that we will find the right synergies to achieve the team's goals.

"Kolkata and Eden Gardens have a very rich history when it comes to Indian cricket and I look forward to contributing to this rich history and making our fans proud of us as a team."

Iyer cost KKR 12.25 crore (£1.2million) at the IPL auction, which was held in Bangalore on February 12 and 13.

^{Iyer replaces Eoin Morgan, who went unsold at the IPL auction}

He will lead a team which includes Pat Cummins, Alex Hales, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, and will be looking to end the franchise's eight-year run without an IPL title.

Knight Riders chief executive Venky Mysore said: "We are delighted firstly to have been able to successfully bid for Shreyas in the IPL auction and to have the opportunity for him to lead the team.

"He has impressed one and all as a quality batsman at the highest level, and we are confident that he will excel as a leader."