New Delhi: Star batter Shreyas Iyer will be returning as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Nitish Rana led the franchise in the previous edition after Iyer was ruled out due to an unfortunate back injury. Rana will be taking up the role of vice-captain and Iyer will be leading the side once again.
“It was indeed unfortunate that Shreyas missed IPL 2023 due to injury. We are delighted that he’s back and at the helm as Captain. The way he has worked hard to recover from his injury and the form he has displayed is a testament to his character,” said CEO of KKR Venky Mysore in an official announcement.
“We are also grateful that Nitish had agreed to step into Shreyas’s shoes last season and did a great job. There’s no doubt Nitish as Vice Captain will support Shreyas in every possible way for the benefit of #TeamKKR,” he added.
“I believe the last season presented us with several challenges, including my absence due to injury. Nitish did a great job not only filling in for me but also with his commendable leadership. I am delighted that KKR has named him Vice Captain. No doubt it will strengthen the leadership group,” said Shreyas Iyer following the official announcement.
Earlier, there were rumours that KKR’s new mentor Gautam Gambhir is backing Nitish Rana to continue leading the side.
KKR have 16 available slots with them 12 Indian and 4 overseas. They also have a huge 32.7 crores purse which they would like to utilise and bring in some big guns. The return of Shreyas Iyer will also strengthen the team’s batting which was lacking in the previous edition.
KKR Retained players: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
KKR Released players: Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Aarya Desai, David Wiese, Shardul Thakur, Narayan Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Johnson Charles
KKR Remaining Purse: 32.7 crores
