Indian Premier League 2023: Decoding The Probable XI Of KKR

Reports claim that lyer could miss the first half of IPL, and a few other reports have circulated that he may need surgery and could be out for 3-4 months. An anxious wait now is what KKR find themselves in.

Two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Kolkata Knight Riders will now need to sweat it out with concerns over the participation of their skipper Shreyas Iyer, who is suffering back problems. Iyer was recently ruled out of the 4th Australia Test midway. He was also subsequently ruled out of the ODI series. Reports claim that Iyer could miss the first half of IPL, and a few other reports have circulated that he may need surgery and could be out for 3-4 months. An anxious wait now is what KKR find themselves in. KKR now not only need to find a skipper, but they also have to find the right balance getting robbed of the heroics Iyer provides with the bat. Notably, Iyer scored 401 runs for KKR last season, and for a team whose batting revolves around their skipper, issues might now creep in. KKR have an interesting blend to their squad with quality, experienced personnel on offer. However, getting a similar replacement for Iyer in that number four position means KKR must think outside the box. KKR are thin in batting in terms of Indian contingent players. Most of their bench strength is bowling centric. You only have Mandeep Singh, who, since 2010, has scored 400-plus runs in just one season. In the last two editions, he has played just four games. KKR have natural leaders like Tim Southee and Shakib Al Hasan, who boast International leadership experience, so that won’t serve as an issue. Also, they have an option of Nitish Rana as captain. We might see Shakib on the bench in order to accommodate an extra batter. Depending on the surfaces, Southee might also sit out if Shakib’s all-round exploits are needed. So rotation will be key here. Ahead of the IPL 2023 season, here we decode the best probable XI of KKR.