Iyer is likely to undergo back surgery and is expected to return at some point in the tournament.
“…Nitish Rana would be the captain of the team in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who is recovering from a back injury. Although we are hopeful that Shreyas will recover and at some point participate in the IPL 2023 edition, we feel lucky that Nitish, with the captaincy experience having captained his state team in white ball cricket and the IPL experience he has had with KKR since 2018, will do a great job,” said KKR in a statement.
“We are also convinced that under the head coach Pandit Chandrakant and support staff, he will get all the support he needs off the pitch, and the team’s highly experienced leaders will provide any support Nitish might need on the pitch. We wish him the best in his new role and Shreyas a full and speedy recovery,” he added.
While Rana captained Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the results are far from encouraging for the southpaw. It is understood that he would be called upon to implement the strategy prepared by coach Pandit, who along with team leader Venky Mysore and former Mumbai stalwart Ranji Abhishek Nayar will be in charge.
It can be noted that Rana was dropped by Delhi in this season’s Ranji Trophy team due to his poor performance and inept technique in red ball cricket.
Rana captained Delhi in 12 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20s, with eight wins and four losses.
The 29-year-old mid-rank hitter was purchased by KKR ahead of the 2018 season and has been retained by the franchise ever since.
Rana 74 games for KKR, scoring 1,744 carries at a strike rate of 135.61.
KKR will open their campaign against Punjab Kings in Mohali on April 1.
(With PTI inputs)
