IPL 2023: Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine Emerge As Frontrunners To Replace Shreyas Iyer As Kolkata Knight Riders Skipper: Report

Mar 27, 2023 at 11:50 AM

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IPL 2023: Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine Emerge As Frontrunners To Replace Shreyas Iyer As Kolkata Knight Riders Skipper: Report

Kolkata Knight Riders’ plans for IPL 2023 has taken a huge blow after injury to their skipper and star batsman Shreyas Iyer. The right-handed batsman is set to miss at least half of IPL 2023 owing to a lower-back injury.

Iyer suffered the injury while fielding during the third Test against Australia in Indore earlier this month. The injury ruled him out of the fourth Test as well as the subsequent ODI series. And while he has decided against undergoing a surgery for the recurring lower-back issue, he has been advised rest as he continues his rehab.

As per reports, he is set to miss at least half of the upcoming season of IPL. And it won’t be surprising if he goes on to miss the entire season. With India set to play the World Test Championship final right after the IPL and then the World Cup in October, it won’t be very surprising if the decides against rushing himself back to action.

Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer Credits: Twitter

Shreyas Iyer’s replacement:

With Shreyas Iyer all but out of IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders will have to name a new skipper soon. And according to a report in the Times of India, veteran spinner Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur are in race to replace Iyer as the captain for the upcoming edition.

The report stated that the franchise is likely to make the announcement inside a couple of days during a grand function which will be attended by their co-owner Shah Rukh Khan and an overseas singer.

“Within a day or two, KKR are set to make the announcement of their new captain in a grand function, with their owner, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and an overseas pop star set to light up the occasion,” a source close to the development told the news outlet.

Kolkata Knight Riders are also required to name their skipper ahead of the captains’ meeting on March 30, a day before the IPL gets underway in Ahmedabad. On the other hand, the Kolkata-based outfit will open their campaign on April 1 against Punjab Kings in Mohali.

Sunil Narine is presently the most experienced and oldest member of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ camp. The star spinner has been plying his trade for the franchise since 2012. He was instrumental in their title triumphs in 2012 and 2014 and has been an indispensable part of the franchise since joining them a decade ago.

Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur (Credits: Twitter)

And while Narine is an option to replace Iyer, his chances of becoming the captain could be hurt by his poor captaincy stint with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders earlier this year. Under Narine, Abu Dhabi managed just one win and suffered 8 losses to finish at the bottom of the points table in the inaugural ILT20 in the UAE.

Thakur, on the other hand, is gearing up to play his maiden IPL season with Kolkata Knight Riders. Last year, the franchise had traded him from Delhi Capitals. The report stated that Thakur has an edge over Narine as the Mumbaikar is expected to communicate better with the Indian players.

Also Read: SA vs WI: Kagiso Rabada Said West Indies Are 10 Runs Short – Reeza Hendricks Reveals Funny Conversation

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