"Leaders ready for battle" - Gautam Gambhir congratulates Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana on appointment as KKR captain & Vice-captain

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir congratulated Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana for being appointed captain and vice-captain, respectively, for the 2024 IPL season.

Gambhir, who led the franchise to their only two titles in 2012 and 2014, was recently made the mentor. Meanwhile, Iyer captained KKR in 2022 before missing the 2023 season due to injury. In his absence, Nitish Rana took over the leadership duties.

However, with Iyer back from injury and all set to return to the IPL in 2024, KKR CEO Venky Mysore made the official announcement on the leadership roles earlier today.

He said:

"It was indeed unfortunate that Shreyas missed IPL 2023 due to injury. We are delighted that he is 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 testament to his character. We are also grateful that Nitish had agreed to step up into Shreyas' shoes last season and did a great job. There's no doubt Nitish as vice-captain will support Shreyas in every way possible for the benefit of Team KKR."

Hours later, Gambhir took to his Twitter handle to wish the duo on their roles.

"Congrats Shreyas and Nitish! Leaders ready for battle!," tweeted Gambhir.

Unfortunately for KKR, they have missed the playoffs in the last two seasons following their final run in 2021.

Both Iyer and Rana led the side to identical results of six wins and eight losses, with a seventh-place finish in their one year at the helm.

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KKR retained their core players ahead of the 2024 IPL auction

KKR will hope for the West Indian duo to return to their best form in 2024.

KKR retained a good chunk of their core players, including the champion West Indian duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. Despite the pair getting up their age and showing waning form in the last few years, the franchise has restored belief in them.

However, Indian pace bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur wasn't as fortunate as the franchise decided to move on from the 32-year-old after the lone season. The pace bowling department is set for a complete overhaul, with Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, and Kulwant Khejroliya released after a dismal 2023 season.

Thankfully for the franchise, their spin department that did most of the heavy lifting last season remains intact with the trio of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy and Suyash Sharma retained. Iyer's return should also bolster their middle order with the presence of Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, and the impressive Rinku Singh.

KKR boasts a purse of ₹32.7 crore for the upcoming auction, and their primary focus will be on strengthening the pace bowling core and finding reliable opening options to partner Jason Roy.