The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are gearing up for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season with Shreyas Iyer back in the leadership role. Shreyas Iyer, recovered from a lower back injury, will be taking over the captaincy from Nitish Rana, who led the team last season when the star batter was unavailable. Notably, Rana's leadership saw KKR finish seventh in the IPL.
The good news for KKR is that Iyer has been declared fit to play in the opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). While managing his injury, Iyer consulted a spine specialist who advised him to adjust his batting technique slightly, specifically avoiding overextending his front foot while defending.
Iyer's return brings much-needed stability to the KKR middle order. The Indian batting core will consist of Iyer at number three, Nitish Rana at four, Rinku Singh at five, and the explosive Andre Russell at six. This strong middle order, combined with the likely opening partnership of Phil Salt and Venkatesh Iyer, promises a well-rounded batting lineup for KKR. Practice sessions have shown Phil Salt, the England wicket-keeper batsman, to be in good touch, striking the ball with confidence.
Big update on Shreyas Iyer's fitness ahead of KKR vs SRH clash
Meanwhile, KKR's outgoing captain Nitish provided a positive update on Iyer's fitness just ahead of their opening IPL match in Kolkata. Rana expressed his hope that Iyer would be healthy enough to lead the team throughout the season.
"Shreyas is back with the team and is quite fit. Of course, he had fitness issues in the past and we cannot take anything for granted. I hope I do not have to take up this responsibility again, as we are hoping Shreyas leads in all the matches. Having said that, if a situation arises where I have to wear the captain’s band again, I am ready for it. I was made the captain last year and that was the biggest thing for me. Although we did not achieve everything we wanted, yet it was the greatest experience for me” Rana told TOI.
KKR's recent track record in IPL
KKR's recent performance has been inconsistent. After reaching the playoffs in 2018 and the finals in 2021, they've landed in the bottom half of the table for the past two seasons, finishing seventh both times.
However, they've bolstered their squad for the upcoming season. In the auction, they secured big names like Mitchell Starc for a whopping 24.75 crores. They also picked up promising players like KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The first phase of the IPL sees KKR playing three matches. They open their campaign at home against SRH, followed by away games against RCB and Delhi Capitals. This means they only have one home game in this initial phase.
Here is the initial IPL 2024 schedule for KKR
| Teams | Date | Venue | Time |
| Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | March 23 | Kolkata | 7:30 PM IST |
| Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | March 29 | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM IST |
| Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals | April 3 | Visakhapatnam | 7:30 PM IST |
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