Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on December 14, 2023, announced that Shreyas Iyer will be captaining the side in the upcoming IPL 2024 tournament. Nitish Rana, who captained the side in IPL 2023, was named vice-captain.

Shreyas Iyer has missed the IPL 2023, as he underwent back surgery. He returned to international cricket in Asia Cup 2023 and had an excellent outing in ICC World Cup 2023 for India, scoring two centuries in the tournament.

Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR, said: "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’ 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."

Shreyas lyer 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."

KKR had earlier brought back its two-time IPL-winning captain Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the side. Now Iyer and Gambhir will be working with head coach Chandrakant Pandit. 

KKR had released 12 players including Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur, and Umesh Yadav ahead of the IPL player auction on December 19. They have a purse of INR 32.7 crore to spend.

(KKR inputs)