The latest social media storm around Kolkata Knight Riders and former captain Shreyas Iyer has flared up again, this time after the franchise marked the second anniversary of its 2024 IPL title success with a post that did not include the man who led the team during the championship run. Since KKR decided to release Iyer before the 2025 mega auction—after which he signed with Punjab Kings—the relationship has remained a frequent talking point among IPL followers, with many questioning the franchise’s handling of their former skipper.
On May 26, the date that completes two years since KKR’s title-winning campaign, the team shared an image of the squad posing with the trophy. Yet Iyer, who captained the side throughout the path to the trophy, was absent from the photo. The franchise also uploaded pictures featuring several standout performers from the final, but the omission extended to Iyer there as well—fueling fresh criticism and renewed claims that KKR failed to give the proper acknowledgement to a key figure in its third IPL crown.
Screenshot of the post sparked immediate reaction online, with fans taking to social platforms to question why the title-winning captain was not shown in celebrations. A common line of criticism was that the franchise was not crediting Iyer appropriately for the role he played in KKR’s championship campaign.
Some supporters even suggested that the exclusion had become a repeated pattern, with posts circulating that mocked KKR’s admin team for reportedly removing Iyer from anniversary celebration images on May 26 each year. The comments, shared widely among fans, amplified the sense that the omission was not accidental and had become part of the franchise’s routine approach to these posts.
The backlash is not new. Since 2025, KKR has faced criticism from segments of the fanbase for spotlighting only certain players while overlooking Iyer’s contribution to the title-winning campaign—an issue that has returned whenever the franchise revisits the 2024 success on social media.
KKR’s 2026 campaign and the wider fallout
While the off-field debate continued, KKR’s on-field form in IPL 2026 brought its own disappointment. Captained by Ajinkya Rahane, the franchise failed to reach the Playoffs after managing only six wins from 14 league matches. The season began with a disastrous run of six straight defeats, leaving them close to the bottom of the table. Even so, KKR fought to stay in contention and remained alive in the race for a Playoffs spot until their last league outing.
Punjab Kings’ collapse after a bright start
Punjab Kings, led by Iyer in IPL 2026, endured a starkly different kind of season turning point. The team finished as runners-up in IPL 2025 and had started 2026 in explosive fashion, winning their first six matches and looking well set for a Playoffs berth. However, their campaign was derailed by an unexpected slide—suffering a six-match losing streak—which ultimately meant they missed out on qualification for the Playoffs.
