Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday (March 27) appointed Nitish Rana as their captain for the 16th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in the absence of regular skipper Shreyas Iyer, who is likely to miss the first half of the tournament due to recurring back injury.

Meanwhile, KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit is hoping that Iyer will return to action "very soon" and Rana will do well in the high-pressure leadership role.

"Whatever little cricket I have played or coached, I have never gone back over things like squad unavailability. Shreyas' absence will make a difference since he is important, but this is truly unfortunate.

"We are hoping Shreyas will be back very soon and that will make a lot of difference to the team," Pandit quoted as saying by PTI on Tuesday (March 28).

Nitish Rana has been associated with KKR since 2018. He also has the experience of leading his domestic cricket team Delhi in 12 T20 matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, registering eight wins and four losses.

The KKR coach is confident of Rana's leadership abilities as he said: "When we select players and give responsibility to players, we see who is capable. And Nitish is capable. He has been with KKR for a long time and also has a strong domestic record. Like they say, 'all boxes to be ticked' and it has come down to that.”

"I am comfortable knowing he can handle the role. We don't see whether someone is deserving or not. Every player has different skills, and after thinking about what Nitish brings to the table, we are confident with the decision.

"This decision is not just my decision but of the whole support staff, including our management."

Chandrakant Pandit’s CV as a coach is highly impressive. He has guided Vidarbha to two successive Ranji Trophy triumphs in 2018 and 2019. He also coached Madhya Pradesh to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2022 before being named KKR’s coach.

However, the 61-year-old feels IPL will be a different ball game.

"Challenges are everywhere. This is also one, but it is a challenge of a different kind. After domestic cricket, to come here where there are experienced international-level players with different reputations is a different challenge.

"I have already said that the players we have, many of them have been playing for their country and are experienced players. Ultimately, the game is not different, only the format is.

"As long as any team plays as a unit, it will make a difference. A united group of players always make a difference," he remarked.

(With PTI Inputs)