Is Shreyas Iyer match fit for KKR's 1st match of IPL 2024? The man who replaced him as KKR's captain answers

Shreyas Iyer is all set to lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024 taking over the captaincy from Niths Rana. Rana led the Knight Riders last season in the IPL as the franchise finished seventh in Iyer’s absence.

The right-hander has now returned fit from his lower back injury and has been deemed fit to play in the first game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Iyer consulted a spine specialist from Mumbai who has asked him not to stretch his front foot too much to defend the ball.

Iyer’s return bolstered the KKR middle order with the Indian core of him at three, Nitish Rana at four Rinku Singh at five, and Andre Russell at six. All the players ensure that KKR has a strong middle-order followed by their openers. Phil Salt and Venkatesh Iyer are likely to open the batting. The England-keeper-batter has been striking the ball sweetly in the practice sessions.

Also Read: Punjab Kings the worst franchise in IPL? Star Sports’ experts discard Punjab-based franchises as their top teams for IPL 2024

Hope Shreyas Iyer Leads In All Matches For KKR: Nitish Rana

Meanwhile. Nitish Rana spoke to Times Of India in a recent interview where he gave a major update on Shreyas Iyer’s fitness a day before KKR’s opening game in Kolkata.

“Shreyas is back with the team and is quite fit. Of course, he had fitness issues in the past and we cannot take anything for granted. I hope I do not have to take up this responsibility again, as we are hoping Shreyas leads in all the matches. Having said that, if a situation arises where I have to wear the captain’s band again, I am ready for it. I was made the captain last year and that was the biggest thing for me. Although we did not achieve everything we wanted, yet it was the greatest experience for me” said Rana.

KKR made the playoffs in 2018 and played the finals in 2021. They finished in the bottom half of the table in 2022 and 2023 seventh each time to be exact.

The franchise bagged 10 players in the auction securing the services of Mitchell Starc for 24.75 crores. KS Bharat (Rs. 50 lakhs), Chetan Sakariya (Rs. 50 lakhs), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Rs. 20 lakhs), Ramandeep Singh (Rs. 20 lakhs), Sherfane Rutherford (Rs. 1.5 crores), Manish Pandey (Rs. 50 lakhs), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Rs. 2 crores), Gus Atkinson (Rs. 1 crore), Sakib Hussain (Rs. 20 lakhs) are the other players that they bagged.

KKR Made Me A Successful Leader: Gautam Gambhir

They have their core well retained and their first XI looks good heading into their season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. The return of Gautam Gambhir back to KKR as the team mentor was the biggest news concerning the franchise ahead of IPL 2024.

He recently spoke about the impact KKR have had on his IPL and professional career as he looks forward to ending KKR’s title drought in the last 10 years.

“I did not make Kolkata Knight Riders successful, it was KKR that made me a successful leader,” Gambhir said.

KKR plays three games in the first phase kicking off against SRH at home. They take on RCB on March 29 and Delhi Capitals on April 3. They play only one game at home in the first phase.

Also Read: KKR Playing 11 vs SRH- IPL 2024, Match 3