Less than a week before the start of the 16th season of the Indian T20 League, Kolkata, finally, announced their skipper for the season. In absence of their regular skipper Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata announced Nitish Rana as the stand-in skipper for the upcoming season. Notably, Iyer is set to miss most of the tournament due to a back injury.
Two times champion franchise took social media to announce their stand-in captain. They posted a statement on social media platforms and said that in absence of Iyer, Rana will fill in his shoes. The team also wished Iyer a speedy recovery. Notably, the Mumbai batter is currently on bed rest to recover from a back injury.
In a statement, Kolkata said,
“While we are hopeful that Shreyas will recover and participate at some stage in the ITL 2023 edition, we feel fortunate that Nitish, with captaincy experience having led his state side in white-ball cricket and the ITL experience he has had with Kolkata since 2018, will do a great job. We are also confident that under Head Coach Chandrakant Pandit and the support staff, he will get all the support needed off the field, and the highly experienced leaders in the squad will provide all the support that Nitish may need on the field. We wish him the best in his new role and Shreyas a full and speedy recovery.”
Nitish Rana has plenty of experience in the Indian T20 League
The 29-year-old batter Nitish Rana has been picked over the likes of Sunil Naraine and Andre Russell, who hold great experience in the format. However, the franchise went with an Indian and a younger option to eliminate any further fitness issues. Notably, Rana has led Delhi in India’s domestic tournaments and has had a great run with the team.
In Indian T20 League, Nitish Rana has been an integral part of Kolkata since 2018. He is the fifth-highest run-getter for the franchise as he has scored more than 1700 runs in the 74 matches at an average of 27.68. Rana has also represented India in one ODI and two T20Is during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2021. Meanwhile, fans reacted to his selection for the leadership role. A Twitter user said, “Well deserved. He has been a consistent performer for KKR in the last few years.”
Here are some Tweets:
KKR fans after knowing Nitesh Rana will be their stand in captain.
KKR fans be like 🙂 pic.twitter.com/Iq1W7CzXsu
— Shakti Man ? (@IamShaktiMann) March 27, 2023
Felt bad when Mumbai did not retain him, loved his six hitting ability & attitude on the Field.
Always had a thought, one day he will be captaining the other side.
— Zerir (@Zerir_) March 27, 2023
FML! Is chapri tiktoker se acha koi nahi mila inhe , congratulations KKR for confirming 8th spot already
— vikkas (@viks15680) March 27, 2023
Venky Mysore was a better choice.
— Dr Dhiman Bhattacharya ?? ?? ?? (@DrdhimanBhatta1) March 27, 2023
Meanwhile shardul who was the strongest contender pic.twitter.com/DY6LD4WTOE
— ? (@SarcasticCowboy) March 27, 2023
Nitish Rana after getting a call that he is now a captain. pic.twitter.com/Qt25ICsHUr
— Dexter Murugan (@tyagi_langda) March 27, 2023
reason is here pic.twitter.com/vh0dN1US0q
— RK (@MahiGOAT07) March 27, 2023
Lessssgo?? pic.twitter.com/JW5suTgLtg
— Nomaan (@Nomaann__) March 27, 2023
Rinku Singh pic.twitter.com/VeWUIi7KCL
— Sanket Shah (@SanketS64861430) March 27, 2023
Heartiest Congratulations @NitishRana_27 .All the Very Best in your New Endeavour.
— Narayan Mahadevan (@tmnarayan) March 27, 2023
