Kolkata Knight Riders have announced the new captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Delhi's left-handed batsman Nitish Rana will lead the team this season. He will replace the injured Shreyas Iyer. Kolkata's regular captain Shreyas will miss most of the matches this season due to a lower back injury. The franchise is hopeful of his return soon.
Kolkata Knight Riders said in their statement, “We are hopeful that Shreyas Iyer will recover soon. He can participate in this edition of IPL. We are fortunate that Nitish has the experience of captaincy. He has been leading his state in white-ball cricket and has been with the Kolkata Knight Riders since 2018. He will do a good job.
The franchise further said in its statement, “We are confident that under head coach Chandrakant Pandit and the support staff, he will get all the necessary support off the field and will also be supported by experienced players in the team. Nitish may need this on the field. We wish him all the best in his new role and wish Shreyas a full and speedy recovery.”
Sunil Naren's name was also on the list
Several media reports were claiming that the names of Nitish Rana and veteran West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine have been shortlisted for the captaincy. Finally, Nitish's name got stamped. The franchise also had options in the form of Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, and Shardul Thakur. Ignoring all the experienced, the Kolkata Knight Riders management has bet on the young Nitish Rana.
The first match will be in Punjab
The 16th season of IPL will start on 31 March. In the first match, Chennai Super Kings will face defending champions Gujarat Titans. Talking about Kolkata Knight Riders, they will start their campaign against Punjab Kings on April 1.
Nitish was associated with Kolkata in 2018
Talking Nitish Rana, he has captained Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. During this, out of 12 matches, they won eight and lost four. Nitish, 29, joined Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018. Since then the franchise has retained him every time. Nitish has scored 1744 runs in 74 matches for Kolkata at a strike rate of 135.61.
