Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vice-captain Nitish Rana is hopeful that star batter Shreyas Iyer will overcome his injury concerns and lead the franchise in the IPL 2024.
Iyer, who missed the IPL 2023 due to injury, arrived at the KKR camp with a back issue.
There have been rumors that Iyer may miss the first few games, with Rana set to lead KKR.
In Iyer’s absence, Rana assumed leadership of KKR. However, the two-time champions were unable to qualify for the playoffs, finishing seventh in the points standings.
Regarding Iyer’s fitness issue, Rana expressed hope that the star batter would be able to lead the team throughout the season.
“Shreyas is back with the team and in good shape. Of course, he has had fitness issues in the past, and we should not take anything for granted.
I hope I do not have to take on this responsibility again, as we are hoping Shreyas will lead in all of the matches.
Nonetheless, I am prepared to wear the captain’s band again if necessary. Last year, I was named captain, which was a huge accomplishment for me.
Although we did not get everything we wanted, it was the most memorable experience for me,” Rana told the Times of India.
Despite KKR finishing seventh last season, Rana revealed that there is genuine optimism in the locker room that the two-time champions will go all the way this time.
“This time, our team is very positive, and you can feel it in the locker rooms.
There is a renewed determination to win, which was lacking last year. “Everyone is thinking about the trophy,” he explained.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) IPL 2024 squad: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain.
