Gautam Gambhir congratulates Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana for appointment to leadership roles in KKR
Dec 14, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 14 : Former Indian opener and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir congratulated Indian middle-order batters Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana for their appointments as the captain and vice-captain of the two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champion franchise.
Shreyas Iyer has been retained as the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. Nitish captained the franchise this year, scoring 413 runs in 14 games. KKR failed to reach the playoffs, finishing at seventh place.
Gambhir took to X to congratulate both the players on their appointment to leadership roles.
"Congrats Shreyas and Nitish! Leaders ready for battle! @KKRiders," tweeted Gambhir.
https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir/status/1735244644165009447
Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR, announced that lyer will continue to captain KKR while southpaw Nitish Rana will serve as his deputy.
Making the announcement, Venky was quoted as saying in a KKR release, "It was indeed unfortunate that Shreyas missed IPL 2023 due to injury. We are delighted that he's back and at the helm as Captain. The way he has worked hard to recover from his injury and the form he has displayed is a testament to his character. We are also grateful that Nitish had agreed to step into Shreyas's shoes last season and did a great job. There's no doubt Nitish as Vice Captain will support Shreyas in every possible way for the benefit of Team KKR."
On being entrusted with the top job for the next edition of the IPL, Shreyas said, "I believe the last season presented us with several challenges, including my absence due to injury. Nitish did a great job not only filling in for me but also with his commendable leadership. I am delighted that KKR has named him Vice Captain. No doubt it will strengthen the leadership group."
The versatile batter has grabbed every opportunity to feature in the playing eleven with both hands, establishing himself as a mainstay in the Indian middle-order after a sensational run in the World Cup earlier this year.
The team management has also been investing in him as a successor to Test specialists Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, both of whom are in the twilight of their careers in the red-ball format.
In white-ball cricket, Iyer has been a model of consistency and is a joy to watch, especially when it comes to negotiating spinners. He has established himself as one of the best players of spin bowling in the last few years.
In T20Is, Iyer has scored 1,104 runs in 51 matches and 47 innings at an average of 30.66, with eight half-centuries and best score of 74*. His runs came at a strike rate of over 136.
