Kolkata Knight Riders were dealt a massive blow ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as sources told NDTV that skipper Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to injury. Shreyas suffered a back injury during the Test series against Australia and he is scheduled to undergo back surgery that will sideline him for 2-3 months. The absence of Iyer – who was bought for Rs 12.25 crore in 2022 – will be huge for KKR as they will be missing a prominent batter. In the absence of Shreyas, here are the three cricketers who can replace him as KKR skipper -
The veteran West Indies spinner joined KKR way back in 2012 and since then, he has played the greatest number of matches for the franchise in IPL. He is one of the senior members of the side and the spinner has also led KKR's other franchises - Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 and Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League. Narine was the part of the KKR side that claimed the title on two occasions and he can be the perfect choice to lead the side in Shreyas' absence.
This is the first season for Shardul Thakur with KKR but his old acquaintance with coach Chandrakant Pandit can see him replace Shreyas as the skipper. Shardul has established himself as an effective all-round option for India and although he did not have a good run of form for Delhi Capitals, he can be a massive asset for KKR as a partner for Andre Russell in the absence of Pat Cummins.
The Bangladesh all-rounder is back in KKR and he can be end up leading them in the new season. This will be the second stint for the veteran cricketer with the franchise and with Shreyas Iyer out of the picture, he can become a mainstay in the top order. He has led Bangladesh for many years and his familiarity with the team management can put him in the leadership position.