 "KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2020")
Kolkata Knight Riders officially announced their new interim captain in the upcoming IPL 2023 season starting from March 31. In the absence of its regular captain Shreyas Iyer who is recovering from a back injury and is likely to miss the first few matches of the IPL, KKR is looking for its new captain.
Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine were the two prime contenders for the KKR captaincy. Sunil Narine, who is part of the KKR squad since 2012 and also captained Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the inaugural season of the International League T20, finished last losing eight in nine matches.
Nitish Rana captained Delhi team in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Nitish Rana, who is part of the KKR squad since 2018, brings some captaincy experience as he captained Delhi in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In 12 matches, Delhi won eight matches and faced four defeats.
Nitish Rana's form is also a good sign for the KKR team. Last season, he was the second-highest run-scorer after captain Shreyas Iyer. He scored 361 runs at a strike rate of 143.82. Though 2022 was a disappointing year for KKR, they finished seventh in the points table with six wins and eight losses.
KKR issued a statement about Nitish's captaincy
KKR issued a statement disclosing Nitish Rana as the new interim captain of KKR in the absence of Shreyas Iyer. The statement reads, "While we are hopeful that Shreyas will recover and participate at some stage in the IPL 2023 edition, we feel fortunate that Nitish, with the captaincy experience of having led his stateside in white-ball cricket and the IPL experience he has had with KKR since 2018, will do a great job,"
KKR further stated, "We are also confident that under head coach Chandrakant Pandit and the support staff, he will get all the support needed off the field, and the highly experienced leaders in the squad will provide all support that Nitish may need on the field. We wish him the best in his new role and Shreyas a full and speedy recovery."
