The 16th season of India Premier League is all set to commence on 31 March 2023, the opening match will be played between defending Champions Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Giants is led by Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni will be the skipper of Chennai Super Kings. GT won the previous year’s IPL trophy by defeating Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets at Narendra Modi Stadium.
We are seeing news about players getting ruled out from the upcoming season of IPL, before even the start of the season. KKR has been the third most successful IPL franchise that won 2 IPL trophies; in 2012 & 2014 under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy.
KKR’s previous year did not go well, the franchise finished its season in the seventh position in the points table. KKR won 6 out of 14 total matches played by the team in IPL 2022. They did not even qualify for the playoffs, in IPL 2022. But there is bad news for the KKR fans, it is about the skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shreyas Iyer was bought by KKR for the captaincy choice in the mega auction of IPL 2022, but he may not be leading his team this year, at least in the first half of the tournament.
Who will be the Captain of KKR this season?
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been hit by a major blow even before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Their captain, Shreyas Iyer, has been ruled out for at least the first half of the season due to a back injury. Iyer’s absence will leave a massive void in the KKR squad, and the team management will have to find a suitable replacement to lead the team in his absence.
Iyer was one of the key players for KKR last season. He was the team’s leading run-scorer and played a crucial role in their journey to the playoffs. His captaincy was also spot on, and he led the team well on and off the field. With Iyer out of the team, KKR will have to find someone who can replicate his performance and leadership skills.
There have been many speculations about who will take over the captaincy from Iyer. As per the reports in ESPNCricinfo, Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana are the front runners for the job. Narine is a seasoned campaigner and has been with KKR since 2012. He has played 120 matches for the team and has been a match-winner on many occasions. However, he has very little experience as a captain and has only led the team on a few occasions.
Nitish Rana, on the other hand, is a top-order batsman who has been with KKR since 2018. He has been a consistent performer for the team and has scored 1368 runs in 53 matches. Rana has also captained Delhi in the domestic circuit, and his experience as a captain could work in his favour.
It will be a tough decision for KKR to choose between Narine and Rana. Both players have been an integral part of the team and have played a significant role in the team’s success in the past. The team management will have to take into consideration several factors before making the final call.
One of the main factors that KKR will have to consider is the balance of the team. With Iyer out of the team, KKR will have to reshuffle their batting order, and they will have to find someone who can bat in the middle order. Both Narine and Rana are top-order batsmen, and if one of them takes over the captaincy, the team will have to find a suitable replacement to bat in the middle order.
Another factor that KKR will have to consider is the experience of the captain. IPL is a high-pressure tournament, and the captain plays a crucial role in guiding the team to victory. Both Narine and Rana have very little experience as captains, and it remains to be seen whether they will be able to handle the pressure of leading the team in the absence of Iyer.
KKR will also have to take into account the team dynamics. Both Narine and Rana have been a part of the KKR squad for a long time, and they have a good understanding of the team dynamics. The team management will have to ensure that the captain they choose can lead the team effectively and can maintain a good rapport with the other players.
KKR Squad for IPL 2023
Kolkata Knight Riders is yet to take their final call on who will be leading the KKR this season. But they are on it and we will soon get updated information about the new captain of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Here is the rest of the KKR Squad for IPL 2023:
Kolkata Knight Riders Players List: Shreyas Iyer (out), Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, David Wiese, Harshit Rana, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Lockie Ferguson, Mandeep Singh, Narayan Jagadeesan, Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Shakib Al Hasan, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer
IPL 2023: Home | Schedule | Squads | Points Table | Orange Cap | Purple Cap
