Cricket
Cricket
What KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are looking forward to with the 2022 season
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer talk about what they are looking forward to in the new Indian Premier League season in Red Bull Cricket Room on Clubhouse
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While Rahul, 29, will lead the newly launched Lucknow Super Giants, flamboyant batter Iyer has been named captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders this season.
Rahul, who represented the Punjab franchise from 2018-2021, has been one of the best in the league over the last two years. He scored the most number of runs in the League, with 670 runs, in 2020 and was the highest scorer (626 runs) for his team in 2021.
Meanwhile, Iyer made the shift to 2021 finalists Kolkata Knight Riders after six fruitful years for the Delhi franchise. After missing almost half of last season due to a shoulder injury, the 27-year-old from Mumbai is raring to go this time around.
Lucknow Super Giants will start their campaign against Gujarat Titans on 27th March while the Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener at the Wankhede Stadium on 26th March.
Rahul and Iyer are currently in the three-day bio-bubble in Mumbai. The two players discuss their new teams, how they hope to leave their mark and what we can expect in the 2022 Indian Premier League.
Below is the entire Clubhouse conversation with Rahul and Iyer in the Red Bull Cricket Room. After the audio are some key takeaways from the session:
01
KL Rahul is excited about building a team from scratch, leaving a legacy
After three successful years with Punjab, KL Rahul moved to the Lucknow Super Giants for the 2022 IPL season. Rahul will also captain the newly-formed franchise and is looking forward to leaving his mark on the team.
“Whatever little time I have got with Lucknow Super Giants has been a very new experience for me,” Rahul said during the Clubhouse session.
“I have never sat in meetings discussing each and every player, how we want to set up the franchise, what our core needs to be. There is so much that has happened, including the auction, before the auction, retaining players. All of that was very new to me and I am so glad I get this opportunity to be part of a new team, and build it from scratch. That’s what excited me and that’s why I made the move into a new team. Because I wanted to be a part of something like this and learn along the way.”
“Yes, there is a bit of pressure. But you start enjoying that,” the 29-year-old added. “You love performing under that pressure, it gives you more satisfaction. It is always going to be around. But this opportunity that I, and the guys in Lucknow Super Giants, have, I don’t think many people from our generation do. We grew up watching the IPL, so we associate teams with players: Chennai Super Kings with MS Dhoni, RCB with Virat Kohli.
“These are the guys who have been there from the first seasons and have created a legacy. They have left a huge impact on the city, the franchise. That’s what really excited me. I wanted to go into the new franchise. Yes, it comes with added pressure because you are going to set the tone for the team.”
KL Rahul
© Ali Bharmal
02
Shreyas Iyer talks about his dream Test debut
Iyer has been piling on the runs in the domestic circuit and the shorter formats of the game but he earned his first Test cap only late last year.
The Mumbai-based batter made his Test match debut against New Zealand in Kanpur in December 2021 and notched a hundred on his very first outing. Iyer scored 105 in the first innings and 65 in the match that ended in a draw.
“There have been ups and downs over the last six months,” he said.
“I came out of (shoulder) injury. Then got a century on debut, every cricketer dreams about that. I was really grateful for the opportunity. The most important thing for me was to win the Test cap, because every kid dreams about that.
“After that we went to South Africa, I had a bad stomach ache which turned out to be an infection. Things have been good and bad. But I will take all the achievements as a blessing. And I want to keep up the momentum.”
Shreyas Iyer
© Ali Bharmal
03
KL Rahul says, "It was a huge surprise to take over as Test captain"
KL Rahul has been groomed into the captaincy role for a couple of years now. But the Karnataka batter was handed the reins of the Indian national team during their series against South Africa after Virat Kohli was forced out due to injury.
“Like everyone else, it came as a huge surprise to me,” said Rahul.
“I was the vice-captain. As a vice-captain you slowly prepare yourself to become the captain in due time. But then I didn’t expect it to come to me so quickly and in such circumstances: the morning of the game, Virat (Kohli) came to me in the bus and said, ‘My back is not feeling great, you might have to captain the team.’
“It didn’t put me off or change my mindset a lot. All of us, in some way or the other, when we play the game we are our own captain and in our head we are playing situations like we are a captain. When that ‘C’ in the team list comes, it does feel new and it is something you are proud of. It is an honour not many people get and it is something you always dream of, and I was very happy, very grateful.
“But it was very challenging. We were 1-0 up, playing South Africa in South Africa. It was a really good game of cricket; there were ups and downs for both the teams. South Africa played really well and held their nerve towards the end to win the game. Wasn’t the most pleasant thing for me to start off with a loss as a captain, but it was a great learning and I enjoyed those four-five days on the field. We fought till the very end.”
04
Winning the trust of players is the most challenging thing, especially in a short league like IPL
While leading a cricket team is a huge challenge in itself, Rahul and Iyer, who have both captained IPL sides before, believe that doing so for few months of the year is even more difficult. The IPL runs over two to three months a year, which in most cases is too less to come together as a team and deliver the results.
“You have to build the trust of your team,” said Rahul. “Then they will go to war with you. The challenge with IPL teams is you play only for two months and don’t see each other for 10 months. You go play international cricket, then you come and regroup again and are expected to perform as a group and stay really tight.”
Shreyas Iyer
© Ali Bharmal
05
IPL is a melting pot of cricket cultures, making it one of the most loved tournaments
Since its inaugural season in 2008, the IPL has grown in stature. One of the factors that contributes to its appeal is watching players from different countries and culture come together and perform as a team.
“I’ll be having an amazing time chatting with them, picking their brain,” said Iyer, of catching up with his new teammates at Kolkata Knight Riders.
“They have done so well representing their own countries. It will be fun when all of us come together as a team. More than winning the matches, I feel we create that sort of relationship where we get to know each other very closely so when we go to compete at the international level we know their strengths and weaknesses.”
Rahul agreed that foes-turning-friends was the reason why the tournament is popular with players around the world.
“They have the opportunity to play with some of the guys they might have not liked in the opposition,” he said. “But then you share the dressing room with those players, and try and understand that everyone’s quite similar. Whichever part of the world we come from, we’ve had similar journeys. We have all had to struggle through school and state cricket and have made our mark. We all get along quite well, that’s why the friendships have become so evident on screen. That’s because they play the IPL and spend time and get to know each other really well.
06
Andy Flower, Gautam Gambhir bring a wealth of experience to Lucknow Super Giants
Even though the Lucknow Super Giants will be playing their maiden season, they have made sure they have experienced people at the top. The franchise hired former Zimbabwe player Andy Flower as their head coach while Gautam Gambhir, who led KKR to their first IPL title in 2012, will be the team mentor.
“I have worked with Andy for a couple of years. He’s really balanced and someone who wasn’t too happy when we won or too sad when we lost. He tries to keep the messaging with the players really positive. I like having calm people around,” said Rahul.
“Gautam Gambhir’s record speaks for itself. He’s someone who is very honest, very straightforward. He’s always thinking about the team and what the best decision is for the team. He always encourages players to go out there and be aggressive and not be afraid to make mistakes. I am really looking forward to working with him. He has won IPL trophies for KKR so he knows what it takes.”
KL Rahul
© Ali Bharmal
07
Why KL Rahul is Shreyas Iyer's 'favourite' captain
Shreyas Iyer has played all formats of the game, been a captain himself and played under a few. And he was impressed by Rahul’s leadership skills in South Africa.
“It was nice to play under him,” Iyer said of Rahul. “Firstly, he is an outstanding player. The confidence he carries on the field and in the team meetings, the support that he provides to the players; it's great. He’s got a very calm demeanor and his on-field decision making is very instinctive. I really enjoyed playing under him. Also, he gave me three overs of bowling, which none of the captains previously had done. So yeah, he’s my favourite captain!”
08
KL Rahul on dealing with the bio-bubble
For the past two years, athletes have been forced to lead an isolated bubble-life due to the pandemic. Though KL Rahul is one of the most level-headed players in the team, he believes it has started taking a mental toll on him too.
“I was quite okay initially, but I think the last series and the West Indies series at home really got to me,” he said.
“It became very difficult for me to keep myself motivated. The first few bubbles I did manage. Because I kept asking myself, ‘Where else can I be? What else can I do?’ Nothing. Cricket is the only thing I am good at and this is the thing I have chosen, so I owe it to myself. I kept pushing myself that way. But the last couple of months were very difficult. Shreyas and me were chatting about how it’s getting more difficult especially when your families can’t come and be with you. You need your family, your friends to just feel normal. We stopped feeling normal. We had to sleep, wake-up, go to the ground. It just became a routine. It started getting very difficult.
“The good thing was the bubble and quarantines got the players together, and we got to know each other better. I have gotten to know the players I have been with for four-five years better on a personal level and formed a much deeper friendship. You are constantly improving because you are chatting with your fellow players about the game. That’s all we know to be honest. We only know about cricket.”
09
Shreyas Iyer reveals his favourite cricket travel destination
One of the perks of being a professional athlete is getting to travel the world. And Iyer made the most of it when he could.
“Before the pandemic, I really enjoyed going on overseas tours, especially the West Indies,” he said. “The culture is so different on each island. Antigua and Trinidad and Tobago are really special. I was there for a month. They have amazing beaches and beautiful mountains. The support at the stadium is so great, it’s like a festival playing cricket there.
“Also when we were in Australia we used to enjoy the café culture and try out different cuisines. As a player you sometimes need to switch off completely. We try to go for lunch and dinner when we are out. KL and I have gone a few times. The last two years have been really tough and KL was a witness to that.”
Shreyas Iyer
© Ali Bharmal
10
What KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer would want to borrow from the other’s batting arsenal
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are exciting batting talents in their own right. While Rahul is more in the classical mould, Iyer is known for his aggression and flamboyance. When asked about which batting skill they would borrow from each other, this is what they said:
KL Rahul: "He is a really good player of spin. He is one of the players who doesn’t really step out too much, he is a tall boy so has a long reach. He just stands and hits them out of the park. This really puts the spinners under pressure. That’s something I dread when he plays against our team in the IPL."
Shreyas Iyer: "He’s got an array of shots. His flicks against the fast bowlers, which go for a six! I was in awe when I saw it for the first time."
11
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer talk watches, fashion and dancing moves
Apart from cricket, Rahul and Iyer share a fascination for fashion.
“We definitely chat a lot about watches; there are a few watch-crazy people in our team, KL is one of them. We love dressing well,” Iyer said.
Rahul dug a little deeper on how he fashions his wardrobe.
“We do share quite similar styles. Our love for streetwear and athlete gear is quite evident,” Rahul said. “Shreyas likes more colour than I do. I have always had a keen interest in fashion. I love exploring my creative side. The thing with streetwear is you can make it look cool if you know how to team it up with something. It doesn’t have to be a big brand. If wearing big brands is your style, then I don’t think there is much effort going in.”
Iyer has also drawn in quite a few fans with his dancing reels. Even as the two players bantered over it, Rahul said he was happy to play spectator and wants to keep that skill under wraps, at least for now.
“I do aspire to be the leader and you have got to let the boys do their thing. It takes a little bit more than Red Bull to get me dancing!” he said.
“My favourite was the shuffle video and it went viral!” Iyer revealed. “Fitness is a vital part of my routine. I personally feel dance plays an important part in it! It’s like doing cardio, a long cardio I would say. On New Year’s Eve I danced a lot, for almost five hours! The next day I was admitted to the hospital; I lost seven kgs in five days after that.”
12
Shreyas Iyer on joining the Red Bull family, and the epic launch
Shreyas Iyer was unveiled as a Red Bull athlete last year in a typically daring, edgy fashion. In the launch video, Iyer is seen dune-bashing in an ATV with UAE cricketer Chirag Suri and Rally Raid rider Mohammed Balooshi.
“I was actually in two minds whether to do it or not. I had just come out of an injury situation and didn’t want to risk my shoulder. I thought, ‘I am just going to enjoy myself before going into the bio-bubble.’ It was my first time (dune-bashing). I saw Mohammed Balooshi was jumping from one dune to another. I enjoyed driving around on the ATV. The video came out really well.”
Mohammed Balooshi jumps over Shreyas Iyer and Chirag Suri
© Red Bull Content Pool
13
KL Rahul cherishes long-standing relationship with Red Bull
Meanwhile, Rahul, who top-scored in Red Bull Campus Cricket in 2013, has enjoyed a long association with Red Bull and has loved the journey so far.
“Our relationship has been a long-standing one,” he said. “They are a brand which has been really supportive of everything. They are a brand that stay in the background and help their athletes get better. They always reach out and see if there’s anything they can do to help you. During the last IPL, they knew the quarantine was going to be slightly longer, so they went into our bubble hotel, got a room and converted it into a gym so that I could train and be ready when I got out.
“It is small things that show how much they care about their athletes. That is why athletes also tend to stay with them for a long time, because the association is really sweet, really beautiful. It doesn’t feel like a commitment, it just happens very organically. I can’t put into words how much I appreciate being with a brand like Red Bull. It’s been a great journey and hope we can do some more stuff.”
KL Rahul
© Ali Bharmal
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