TATA IPL 2023 season is merely 15 days away and the excitement amongst the fans is palpable. The season begins on 31st March and will witness Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at Ahmedabad. The game will mark the start of the possible final season for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who as per rumors is expected to call it a day this year.
The story so far –
Shreyas Iyer has become an integral part of team India in every format of the game. The 28 year old wasn’t in his elements during the recent, Border Gavaskar series. in the final test match at Ahmedabad, Iyer did not come out to bat due to pain in his lower back. Shreyas Iyer was sent for scans and will miss the ODI series against Australia starting on Friday.
Have KKR already named their new skipper?
Shreyas Iyer’s injury is not only a huge loss for India but also for Kolkata Knight Riders. Two time IPL winners are expected to miss Shreyas Iyer at least for the 1st half of the season. Iyer is the captain of the KKR unit after replacing Eoin Morgan at the end of the 2021 season.
KKR recently took to social media and posted “this shot will sweep you off your feet”, while tagging Rinku Singh. One fan was quick to reply and call Rinku “Gamechanger”. KKR though took everyone by surprise and said “Our skipper”
Is this the right move?
KKR have two international captains in Tim Southee and Shakib Al Hasan at their disposal. Shakib has had the experience of playing for KKR before and winning two titles under Gautam Gambhir.
Tim Southee on the other hand has been doing some good work with the test team, leading them to a close win in the recent test against Sri Lanka. Closer home, KKR also have Nitish Rana who has domestic captaincy experience. The presence of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine can also be a good prospect for KKR captaincy.
Shreyas Iyer to miss the ODI series –
Speaking of Shreyas Iyer, his home fans in Mumbai will be sad after it was confirmed the 28 year old will not be part of the ODI series. in 2022, Iyer was one of the most consistent scorers in the ODI format. Hardik Pandya will lead India instead of Rohit Sharma who has taken the game off for personal reasons.
The first ODI against Australia will be played on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium. The last time the two teams met in the same ground, Australia won the game by 10 wickets, thanks to twin centuries by Aaron Finch and David Warner.