The fact that he had opted against playing Ranji Trophy games despite not busy with international cricket didn’t go down well with the bosses, and BCCI secretary Jay Shah sent a letter to top players in the country warning them of “severe implications” if they prioritise the IPL over domestic cricket. Iyer went on to miss Mumbai’s quarter-final as well, but has played in the semi-final and the final. Iyer was also one of the high-profile names to be dropped from the list of centrally contracted players.