The Kolkata Knight Riders named left-handed batter Nitish Rana as their new skipper for the upcoming Indian Premier League season on Monday. Rana will take over for Shreyas Iyer, who is set to undergo back surgery and could miss the rest of the season.
In fact, KKR’s statement suggests that Iyer’s chances of returning to the field soon are unlikely. “Nitish Rana would captain the side in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, 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,” KKR said in a statement.
The statement added, “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.”
Nitish Rana stated, “KKR has been my home since 2018, and it’s an honor to lead them.” This captaincy instills in me the belief that I can perform at the highest level.