Ahead of the IPL 2023 season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been dealt with a body blow as their skipper Shreyas Iyer will reportedly be ruled out of the entirety of the tournament owing to a recurring back injury.

While it is unclear whether Shreyas will play any part this season at the latter stages, KKR are set to name a captain before their opening fixture match against Punjab Kings on April 1.

According to a report published in TOI, Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur are leading the race to become KKR captain for the upcoming IPL season.

The report claims that the Knight Riders will make the announcement in a grand ceremony that will be attended by the franchise’s co-owner Shah Rukh Khan.

"Within a day or two, KKR are set to make the announcement of their new captain in a grand function with their owner, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and an overseas pop star set to light up the occasion," TOI quoted a source as saying.

Seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who was traded from Delhi Capitals for a hefty sum of INR 10.75 crore, is the leading candidate to stand in for Iyer whereas long-time spin-bowling all-rounder Sunil Narine is also in contention.

Narine has been associated with KKR since 2012. He recently captained KKR’s sister franchise Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20, wherein his side registered only one win and eight defeats to finish at the bottom of the table in the six-team tournament.

Therefore, Thakur, who will be able to communicate better with the Indian players, is reported to be leading the race for captaincy.

(With TOI Inputs)