Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Will Shreyas Iyer be fit for IPL 2023? | Shreyas Iyer injury update: Will the KKR captain be fit for IPL 2023?
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer’s participation in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is under doubt after the recurrence of a back injury ruled him out of the One Day International (ODI) series against Australia.
Iyer did not come out to bat in the fourth test against Steven Smith’s men in Ahmedabad either and he will be undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. His fitness will be monitored by the medical staff of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and then a final decision will be taken on his potential involvement in IPL 2023.
“He had to wait all day (second day) to bat and then when the day got over, the issue he had with his back, recurred. He was sent to the hospital to take scans. I don’t know the exact report of the scans, but he does not seem to be doing that well,” said Indian captain Rohit Sharma as he provided an update on Iyer’s injury post the conclusion of the fourth Test.
The BCCI has asserted that they will be seeking the opinion of a specialist on this matter for greater clarity. Iyer had first suffered this injury following the tour of Bangladesh in December last year. He had then gone to the NCA for rehab as well and was provided an injection to cure the same.
However, his overall recovery took longer than expected. He first ended up missing the ODIs against New Zealand in January and was unavailable for selection in the first Test against Australia in Nagpur on February 9 as well.
The team management will be keeping close tabs on Iyer’s condition considering that he is a vital cog in the ODI setup and with the bigger picture of the World Cup scheduled to be held in the country in October-November this year. Iyer averages 46.6 with a strike rate of 96.51, including two centuries and 14 half-centuries in 42 ODIs.
Who will lead KKR in IPL 2023 if not Iyer?
Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over who would lead KKR in Iyer’s absence. Sunil Narine and Andre Russell appear to be the possible alternatives considering their seniority but a final call on the same will be taken by the franchise in the coming weeks.
