IPL 2023: KKR coach Chandrakanth Pandit HOPEFUL Shreyas Iyer making Comeback, claims 'Shreyas's absence will make a difference'

IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders have not ruled out a chance of Shreyas Iyer making a late comeback for IPL 2023. KKR coach Chandrakanth Pandit remains optimistic as he feels that Iyer’s comeback can create a huge impact on the team. The Indian middle-order batsman has been ruled out of the competition with a back injury. In Iyer’s absence, KKR has announced that Nitish Rana will be the skipper for the 16th edition of the tournament. Follow Indian Premier League 2023 Live Updates with Insidesport.IN

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“Whatever little cricket I have played or coached, I have never gone back over things like squad unavailability,” Pandit said. “Shreyas’s absence will make a difference since he is important, but this is truly unfortunate. We are hoping Shreyas will be back very soon and that will make a lot of difference to the team.”

The Ranji-winning coach with Madhya Pradesh in 2022 further went on to defend the decision of selecting Nitish Rana as the new skipper of the Kolkata outfits in Iyer’s absence. “When we select players and give responsibility to players, we see who is capable. And Nitish is capable. He has been with KKR for a long time and also has a strong domestic record. Like they say, ‘all boxes to be ticked’ and it has come down to that. I am comfortable knowing he can handle the role.”

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“We don’t see whether someone is deserving or not. Every player has different skills, and after thinking about what Nitish brings to the table, we are confident with the decision.”

🚨|🎙| “Nitish Rana is capable of leading this team. I am comfortable knowing he can handle this role.”
– Chandrakant Pandit pic.twitter.com/0K0JGt3d9O

— KnightRidersXtra (@KRxtra) March 28, 2023

“For me this is not new. I have been playing a leadership role in this franchise for a few years. It’s just that the tag is of a captain this time. And if I take extra pressure over a tag, then my game can potentially get ruined. There is no real fear. Yes, when you do something new for the first time, there is some added pressure. But I have played almost 100 games, and one thing I know is that I thrive under pressure and I am embracing this new role, said Rana.

Shreyas Iyer Injury Update

Shreyas Iyer has rejected NCA’s suggestion of undergoing surgery to fix his back. Iyer has a bulging disc in his spine which also causes pain in his right calf. It has rendered him impossible to walk without shooting pain. He was given six injections to numb the pain in the recent past but continues to deny surgery.

It is believed that surgery would rule him for at least six months. There remains no guarantee he could return to action before October-November when the World Cup will be held in India. As a result, he has opted to take a ‘wait and see’ approach to the injury. The BCCI and NCA are subsequently kept in the loop.

Shreyas Iyer Injury: What do we know so far?

Shreyas Iyer is currently at home after being advised to rest by the doctors.
He has a bulging disc in his back with surgery imminent.
A surgery would rule him out for 7 months, risking his participation in ODI World Cup.
Shreyas is unwilling to do so and is looking at alternatives to manage the injury.
The BCCI and NCA are kept in the loop regarding the same.
He has already begun ayurvedic treatment for his back.
Iyer is most likely to miss the first half of the IPL.

On April 6, they will be playing their first match at the home arena of Eden Gardens, Kolkata against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Last year, KKR managed a seventh-place finish in the points table with six wins, eight losses and 12 points in their 14 games. They failed to make it to the playoffs.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Squad strength 22 players (Overseas 8)

Players bought in IPL 2023 auction- Shakib Al Hasan (Rs 1.50 crore), N. Jagadeesan (Rs 90 lakh), Vaibhav Arora (Rs 60 lakh), Suyash Sharma (Rs 20 lakh), David Wiese (Rs 1 crore), Kulwant Khejroliya (Rs 20 lakh), Litton Das (Rs 50 lakh), Mandeep Singh (Rs 50 lakh).

Players retained ahead of IPL 2023 auction: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh.

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