IPL 2023: Predicted XI of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the season

    KKR will have Nitish Rana as their captain in absence of Shreyas Iyer.

    Middle-order: Nitish Rana (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh

    Nitish Rana
    Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: Twitter)

    Shreyas Iyer has been dealing with back injury issues of late. He also had to skip the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia. Speculations were rife that he is expected to undergo back surgery which might as well rule him out of the IPL for at least the first half of the season. However, his comeback in the second half of the season could prove to be a major factor for KKR’s title chances.

    Meanwhile, the KKR team management named Nitish Rana the captain for the next season and thus Rana replaced the injured Shreyas Iyer. He has been one of the key players for KKR for a long time now. The southpaw is expected to dictate the terms with his fearless brand of cricket. Nitish Rana has played 91 games in IPL wherein he scored 2181 runs including 15 half-centuries.

    Venkatesh Iyer is one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming season of the IPL. The 28-year-old has played 22 games in the IPL wherein he accumulated 552 runs including five fifties. Impressed by his abilities, KKR retained him ahead of the auction.

    At times, he could prove to be a handy asset with the ball as well. He has taken 3 wickets to his name. KKR retained Rinku Singh ahead of the mini-auction. He could prove to be a vital performer for KKR in the middle order. He scored 251 runs in 17 games at a strike rate of 130.05.

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