In a recent development, there have been fresh talks between reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and star batsman Shreyas Iyer regarding his future ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 retention deadline on the 31st. of October.

Earlier, reports had emerged suggesting that Shreyas Iyer might not be KKR’s top retainer and could put his name in the auction pool. While his retention may not exactly be straightforward, Shahrukh Khan’s co-owned franchise has held the first round of talks with the star batsman.

A source privy to the developments revealed to TOI, “Till last Friday, the two sides had not spoken. There was a lot of talk about Shreyas Iyer and KKR but the two never sat across the table to discuss future plans or IPL hold-ups. The first conversation took place on Sunday.”

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KKR faces huge challenge ahead of IPL 2025 retention deadline

The three-time IPL champions are reportedly prioritizing West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell as their top retention target, while also planning to retain Shreyas Iyer, although his role as captain for next season is still is uncertain. Earlier, KKR signed Russell, 36, for INR 12 crore, and he is expected to receive a significant pay rise.

As winners of IPL 2024, the team faces the challenging task of selecting a limited number of players from their championship-winning squad before the retention deadline.

KKR have several attractive retention options including Rinku Singh, uncapped all-rounder Harshit Rana, Mitchell Starc, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. However, it remains to be seen how much the current champions are willing to invest.

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