Nitish Rana, a batsman, was appointed the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season on Monday. Rana will assume leadership responsibilities in place of Shreyas Iyer, who is currently recovering from a back injury.
Also Read: IPL 2023: List Of Injured Players And Doubtful Starters, Check Here
“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,” the official KKR statement read.
Kaptaan – 𝘠𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪. Action begins, 1st April 2023 🔥😉@NitishRana_27 #AmiKKR #KKR #TATAIPL2023 pic.twitter.com/q6ofcO2WGG
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 27, 2023
The team is hopeful that Iyer will return in the later stages of the tournament. Nitish Rana of Delhi will serve as the team’s captain during that time, while head coach Chadrakant Pandit keeps a close eye on everything.
“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 he has gained having led his stateside in white ball cricket and the IPL experience he has had with KKR since 2018, will do a great job.
Also Read: AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle Reunited with RCB to Celebrate Unbox 2.0 Event
“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 the support that Nitish may need on the field,” the statement added.
Official statement. @NitishRana_27 #AmiKKR #KKR #Nitish #NitishRana pic.twitter.com/SeGP5tBoql
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 27, 2023
Nitish Rana has played 91 IPL matches and has amassed 2181 runs at an average of 27.96. He has 15 half-centuries to his name, with an 87 as his highest. Rana has also represented the Mumbai Indians in addition to KKR. He has totaled 161 T20 games played, 3862 runs scored, and a century to his name.
Nitish Rana joined KKR in 2018 and has scored more than 300 runs in each of the next five seasons. He has also previously led Delhi on the domestic Indian circuit.
Nitish Rana made his international debut in 2021 while traveling with Shikhar Dhawan’s team to Sri Lanka. He has participated in two T20Is and one ODI, totaling 15 and 7 runs in each.
Update on Shreyas Iyer’s injury
Source: Google
During the fourth Border-Gavaskar Test match in Ahmedabad against Australia, Iyer’s back issue returned. He was informed that surgery would be necessary, and it is expected that it would be performed either in India or London, with the BCCI closely monitoring the process.
From June 7 to 11, at the Oval in London, India will play Australia in the World Test Championship Final. Iyer won’t be playing in the IPL when it begins on March 31, thus KKR has to find a new captain.
Also Read: Ravindra Jadeja Promoted to BCCI A+ Category After Impressive Show Against Australia