Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has been declared fit to play in the upcoming IPL 2024 season. The news came as per the report by the Indian Express. Iye recently joined the KKR camp and participated in an intra-squad T20 match. He had experienced discomfort in his back during the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha.
He consulted with a spine specialist in Mumbai and undergoing further assessment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. Iyer has been given the green light to play. However, he has been advised to be cautious about stretching his leg too far forward while defending the ball.
Iyer’s fitness has been a concern in recent times, with recurring back issues affecting his performance. He first encountered a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year. This led to surgery and forced him to miss IPL 2022. Despite these setbacks, Iyer made a successful return to the Indian team during the Asia Cup 2023. He scored 530 runs as the team finished runners-up.
Shreyas Iyer and injuries
However, his back issues resurfaced during the Test series against England. This lead to his withdrawal from the squad after the Vizag Test match. Following his omission from the Test squad, Iyer faced criticism for his decision to skip the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals despite being declared fit by the NCA. This resulted in his removal from the annual central contract list by the BCCI.
Iyer later rectified his mistake by rejoining the Mumbai team for the semi-final and final of the Ranji Trophy. However, he struggled against pacers in the final, highlighting a potential shortcoming in his game.
Iyer’s return to the IPL will be a significant boost for KKR, who finished fifth in the points table last season. With former captain Gautam Gambhir returning as a mentor, KKR will be hoping to regain their winning form in IPL 2024. KKR will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens on March 23.
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