The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were dealt a major blow ahead of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to a back injury.
Iyer had recently missed international cricket, and there were rumours that he might miss the entire IPL 2023. However, KKR issued a statement to clear the air, stating that they will monitor his rehab and are hopeful that he will return at some point during the IPL 2023 season.
Nitish Rana will lead the team in Shreyas Iyer’s absence, according to KKR.
KKR were already without their star pacer Pat Cummins, and now Shreyas Iyer’s injury has further weakened their lineup for the upcoming season.
Here are five reasons why we believe KKR will struggle to cope without Shreyas Iyer.
Inexperienced Captain
𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘢’𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭! Welcome, Captain! 💜💛@NitishRana_27 #AmiKKR #KKR #TATAIPL2023 #Leader #NitishRana #Nitish pic.twitter.com/Z9UAKToYWj
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 27, 2023
On Monday, Nitish Rana was named interim captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (March 27). On social media, KKR fans had mixed feelings about the decision.
Some speculated that he could do what Gautam Gambhir did as captain and win the IPL.
Others saw it as a setback for the franchise, which had previously had leaders such as Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly, and Eoin Morgan.
Nitish has captained his state team in a few tournaments, but due to poor form, he was recently dropped from Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad.
Star Performers Missing
Pat Cummins, along with Shreyas Iyer, was one of KKR’s most consistent performers last year.
While Iyer will miss matches due to an injury, Cummins has ruled himself out of the franchise-based league due to a busy international schedule.
Cummins appeared in only five games last season but had an impact. He took seven wickets and hit a 14-ball half-century against the Mumbai Indians.
Key Indian Players Struggling In Domestic Cricket
Their new captain, Nitish Rana, was recently dropped from Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad following a string of poor performances.
Nitish has only scored one half-century in his last seven domestic limited-overs matches, and it came in a losing cause.
Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, and Varun Chakaravarthy are either returning from long injury absences or have been inconsistent in their performances.
Form Of Overseas Players
While Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan have recently performed well, marquee players such as Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson have performed poorly on the international stage.
In Shreyas Iyer’s absence, these overseas players will face increased pressure to perform for the team, which could backfire.
Also Read: Top 5 Bowlers with most wickets in IPL history
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