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Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu believes Shreyas Iyer will be extra motivated when he leads Punjab Kings (PBKS) against his former franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), in the high-stakes IPL 2025 Match No. 44 at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer, who captained KKR to their Indian Premier League (IPL) title last season, was surprisingly not retained ahead of IPL 2025. Seizing the opportunity, Punjab Kings acquired him in the auction and entrusted him with the captaincy role. According to Rayudu, this backstory will add fuel to Iyer’s performance.
“He’ll carry great memories of the ground and KKR, having won the IPL with them last season. There’ll be a bit of fire in the belly–he wasn’t retained, and now he’s captaining Punjab. I think he’ll be focused and motivated. Punjab looks the stronger side this season, and I see them as serious contenders for the playoffs,” said Ambati Rayudu while speaking on Match Centre Live on JioHotstar.
PBKS are firmly placed fifth on the points table with five wins out of eight matches. A victory on Saturday would lift them above Mumbai Indians into fourth place, putting them on equal points with Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders, captained by Ajinkya Rahane, are desperate for a comeback. They sit seventh with only three wins from eight matches and now must win five of their last six games to stay in playoff contention.
Squad Overview:
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, and others.
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Punjab Kings (PBKS): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (w), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, among others.
With Punjab aiming for a crucial win and KKR fighting to stay alive, Match 44 promises high drama at Eden Gardens, especially with Shreyas Iyer returning to the ground where he achieved IPL glory just a season ago.
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