Shreyas Iyer Injury Absence, Nitish Rana Will Captain for Kolkata Knight Riders: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), one of the most prominent teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has announced that Nitish Rana will take over as the interim captain in place of the injured Shreyas Iyer. Iyer, who is KKR’s regular leader, sustained a back injury that is expected to sideline him for at least the first half of IPL 2023.
Rana, a 29-year-old middle-order batter, has been with KKR since 2018, and he was one of two candidates for the interim captaincy, alongside Sunil Narine, who has been with the franchise since 2012.
Narine recently led Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the inaugural edition of the International League T20, where they finished last among six teams with one win and eight losses.
Rana has led his state team Delhi in 12 T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with eight wins and four defeats. He has played 74 matches for KKR, scoring 1744 runs at a strike rate of 135.61, and he was the team’s second-highest run-scorer last season, behind Iyer, with 361 runs at a strike rate of 143.82.
KKR stated in a press release that while they are optimistic about Iyer’s recovery and potential participation in IPL 2023, they believe Rana’s experience as a white-ball cricket captain and his familiarity with KKR’s squad and the IPL will serve him well as interim captain.
The team also expressed confidence in their new head coach, Chandrakant Pandit, and the support staff to provide Rana with the necessary support off the field, and the highly experienced leaders in the squad to provide him with the support he needs on the field.
This season, KKR will be under a whole new leadership, with Pandit replacing Brendon McCullum as head coach, and Bharat Arun being appointed as the bowling coach. KKR will hope to improve on their disappointing seventh-place finish last season, with Rana leading the way as interim captain.
It is essential to note that the IPL is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India that takes place annually, usually from March to May. The league comprises eight teams, and the players are auctioned before the start of each season. The IPL has become one of the most lucrative and famous cricket leagues globally, attracting the best cricket players from around the world.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has been one of the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), having won the championship twice, in 2012 and 2014. Over the years, the team has had some illustrious captains who have led them to success.
In their inaugural season in 2008, Sourav Ganguly was appointed the captain of KKR. Ganguly, one of the most successful captains in Indian cricket history, led the team for three seasons, but they could not make it to the playoffs in any of those seasons.
In 2011, Gautam Gambhir took over as the captain of KKR, and he led them to their first IPL championship in 2012. Gambhir also led KKR to another title in 2014 before moving on to the Delhi Daredevils in 2018.
Dinesh Karthik then took over as the captain of KKR in 2018 and led them to the playoffs in his first season as captain.
Shreyas Iyer, who was appointed as the captain of KKR for IPL 2023, is the latest addition to this list of successful captains. Iyer, who was previously the captain of the Delhi Capitals, was bought by KKR ahead of the 2022 season. He is known for his aggressive batting style and astute captaincy.
However, Iyer sustained a back injury during a training session before the start of the IPL, which has ruled him out of action for at least the first half of the tournament. This has forced KKR to appoint Nitish Rana as the interim captain of the team.
Rana, who has been with KKR since 2018, has been a consistent performer for the team over the years, and he also has some experience as a captain, having led Delhi in 12 T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Injuries are an unfortunate part of any sport, and they can have a significant impact on a team’s performance. However, KKR will be hoping that Iyer makes a quick recovery and returns to lead the team as soon as possible. In the meantime, Rana will have the opportunity to showcase his leadership skills and help KKR climb up the table in the IPL.
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