IPL 2023: KKR New Captain – Nitish Rana has been appointed as the new skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders for the upcoming IPL 2023 season. With Shreyas Iyer injured with a back injury, Rana has been entrusted with the duty of leading the charge for the Knights. Rana has been a regular with the Kolkata-based outfits since 2018. KKR will now bank on the leadership of Rana as the two-time IPL Champions look to rejuvenate former glory. Follow Indian Premier League 2023 Live Updates with Insidesport.IN
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The Kolkata Knight Riders took to social media to announce the decision. The club remains hopeful that Iyer can make a late comeback into the tournament if he recovers in time.
Official statement. @NitishRana_27 #AmiKKR #KKR #Nitish #NitishRana pic.twitter.com/SeGP5tBoql
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 27, 2023
“Kolkata Knight Riders today announced that Nitish Rana would captain the side in the absence of Shreyas lyer, who is recovering from a back injury. While we are hopeful that Shreyas will recover and participate at some stage in the IPL 2023 edition, we feel fortunate that Nitish, with the captaincy experience having led his state side in white ball cricket and the IPL experience he has had with KKR since 2018, will do a great job.
We are also confident that under Head Coach Chandrakant Pandit and the support staff, he will get all the support needed off the field, and the highly experienced leaders in the squad will provide all support that Nitish may need on the field. We wish him the best in his new role and Shreyas a full and speedy recovery.”
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Rana has been with KKR since 2018. He has scored a total of 1,744 runs for the team in 74 matches at an average of 26.02. He has scored 11 half-centuries for the side with the best score of 87. In his IPL career, which also saw him play for Mumbai Indians from 2015-17, he has scored 2,181 runs in 91 matches at an average of 28.32, with 15 half-centuries and the best score of 87. His strike rate of 134.22 makes him a valuable asset for the side at the top.
Rana has a solid win-loss record as a captain. He has led Delhi in 12 T20Is in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the country’s top T20I domestic competition, winning eight matches, and losing four.
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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