"When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it" - Shreyas Iyer on the tough period after ODI World Cup ahead of IPL 2024 final

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer opened up on his struggles after having a sensational ODI World Cup with the Indian team as their No. 4. After a string of low scores in the Test series against South Africa away and England at home, Iyer was dropped from the red-ball side.

There were also several reports about Shreyas complaining of pain in his groin and informing his domestic side Mumbai that he wouldn't be able to play in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal. That didn't seem to go down well with the board as Iyer was overlooked in the latest round of central contracts.

However, Shreyas Iyer is certainly in a better place now as his team are on the verge of winning their third IPL title potentially. Speaking to the reporters ahead of the final against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), here's what Shreyas had to say:

"I was struggling after the World Cup in the longer format. When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it. But at the same time, the competition is with myself.

"When IPL was approaching, all I wanted was to see to it that I put in my best foot forward and whatever planning and strategizing we did before it, if we could execute it to the best of our ability, we would have been a great spot and that's where we are now."

In 13 matches in IPL 2024, Shreyas Iyer has scored 345 runs at a strike rate of 146.19 and with two half-centuries to his name. He remained unbeaten on 58* against SRH to take his team to the final by winning Qualifier 1.

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Shreyas Iyer on Gautam Gambhir's impact on KKR

Gautam Gambhir returned as the mentor of the side ahead of the IPL 2024 season and many believe one of the main reasons for Kolkata reaching the final is the former KKR captain's mindset and brilliance.

Shreyas Iyer shed light on how Gambhir's strategies have helped KKR unlock their best potential and stated:

"I feel he (Gambhir) has immense knowledge about how the game has played, he has won two titles with KKR and his strategies have been spot on in terms of what execution we have to make. He adds a lot of cream in the team. Hopefully, we continue with the same momentum in the final as well with his knowledge being put out there."

Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, with the first coming at Chepauk, a venue that could see Kolkata repeat the feat from 12 years ago on Sunday (May 26).