Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Shreyas Iyer did not field for two days in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy 2023-24 final triumph against Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium. Iyer who had contributed with a fiery 95-run knock in Mumbai's second innings missing two days of action raised questions on his fitness and whether his back injury was aggravated.
Sports Tak had reported that Iyer complained of back pain and was taken to a hospital in Mumbai for scans. His reports were sent to the National Cricket Council (NCA) for further assessment.
After getting the feedback from the NCA medical team, Iyer has been cleared to play in IPL 2024. According to sources, he is likely to join the KKR camp in the next few days.
KKR struggled without Iyer as captain
Iyer had missed the entire IPL 2023 after he was sidelined due to back surgery. His services were acquired by KKR for Rs 12.25 crore after a bidding war with Gujarat Titans (GT) and his former franchise Delhi Capitals (DC). In his absence, Nitish Rana led KKR but the two-time IPL champions finished seventh on the IPL 2023 points table.
Iyer’s stellar white-ball run followed by controversy
He made his international comeback in Asia Cup 2023 and cemented his berth in ODI World Cup 2023 squad. Iyer was one of the top run-scorers for India in ODI World Cup.
Iyer could not prove his mettle in red-ball cricket and was dropped from the squad after first two Tests. He complained of back pain but NCA’s medical team cleared him to play. Later, he did not turn up for Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy game which led to him getting dropped from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) annual retainership list of centrally contracted players alongside Ishan Kishan.
Iyer’s IPL numbers
Made his IPL debut in 2015, Iyer has scored 2,776 runs from 101 games at an average of 31.55 including 19 half-centuries. His strike rate is 125.38.
When will Iyer make IPL comeback?
KKR will play their campaign opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 23 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
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