IPL 2022 | Shreyas Iyer could be in orange cap race this year, predicts Aakash Chopra

India’s cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra made a wild prediction for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) two days ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Chopra, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, claimed that KKR’s new captain should be one of the highest run-getters in the new season, if not the highest.

“I feel Shreyas Iyer will score the most runs. Shreyas Iyer will make so many runs this year that he will be in the Orange Cap race,”  Chopra predicted while mentioning other star batters of KKR, such as Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Sam Billings, Andre Russell.

Aakash Chopra also urged KKR to use Shreyas as a No. 3 batter for KKR. “Please go Shreyas as a No. 3 batter, not Nitish Rana. Nitish should follow Shryeas, and then Billings and Russell” Chopra opined.

Despite preferring at No. 3, Nitish Rana batted for KKR in many positions in the past. In the 2022 auction, KKR brought him back at INR 8 crore, and also roped in Shreyas at INR 12.25 crore. Now, with Shreyas and Nitish both in the mix, it is still unclear whether they bat in the upcoming edition.

Shreyas had a tremendous T20I series against Sri Lanka while batting at No. 3 in the absence of Virat Kohli. He scored 204 runs in three matches at a staggering strike rate of 174.36 and was not even dismissed once.

KKR, the IPL 2021 finalists, will begin their new campaign against the last season’s champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in the curtain-raiser of the tournament on March 26, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.