IPL 2018: Nitish Rana Doubtful For Chennai Super Kings Clash

Kolkata Knight Riders might miss the services of their star man Nitish Rana for their crucial clash against high-flying Chennai Super Kings. The left-handed batsman is doubtful for the game due to a lower back spasm.

The Knight Riders camp did not give a clear update on Rana’s fitness. However, the signs so far are not looking promising. The 24-year old had walked off the field while on 17 during their six-wicket win at Royal Challengers Bangalore on 29 April. On Wednesday, he did not even attend the full-fledged training session ahead of the game.

“He has lower back spasms. The medical team will take a call tomorrow morning,” a team official said on Wednesday.

Rana has been in fine form this season. With the bat, he has provided the team with the much-needed solidarity and with ball he has been able to take crucial scalps. So far, he has scored 188 runs and has taken 4 wickets including those of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. He has also won two Man of the Match awards this season.

Meanwhile, Rana’s absence can prompt the Knight Riders camp to promote the talented Shubman Gill in the batting order. The 19-year old has batted at number seven so far and has not managed to make much of an impact. On the other hand, the team may also replace Rana with Ishank Jaggi.

Talking about the Super Kings, the table-toppers had an optional training session. MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh skipped the optional training, while Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Lungi Ngidi and Faf du Plessis joined the team midway into the practice session.

The Super Kings are currently at the top of the points table with 12 points from eight matches. On the other hand, Knight Riders are fourth with 8 points from as many games.