New Delhi
Indian middle-order batter and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer is likely to miss the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana are among the frontrunners to take the leadership position in the franchise during his time away from the game. As per source, Iyer has opted out of back surgery for his recurring lower-back injury. He has been advised to rest and is continuing his rehab. The injury had first ruled him out of the final Test against Australia during the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy and he also missed the ODI series against the visitors.
There is no definite return date marked for Iyer and he will be under the supervision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. KKR however expects their skipper to be back for the second half of the cash-rich league.
Iyer’s issues concern a disc bulge in his spine, which has resulted in an impinged nerve. The nerve runs along the right leg and has caused extreme pain in Iyer’s calf. The batter has received six injections in the recent past to numb his back pain.
Iyer, 28, first experienced back discomfort last December just after the conclusion of the Bangladesh tour. He missed the series against New Zealand at home and the first BGT test against Australia. Though he returned to play the second and third tests, the pain resurfaced during the final test, where he fielded for two days.
