Andre Russell was one of the frontrunners for KKR captaincy in Shreyas Iyer's absence. (Pics: Twitter)

"Ghor anarth" - Fans react as KKR choose Nitish Rana over Andre Russell as skipper for IPL 2023

Modified Mar 27, 2023 19:52 IST

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell was touted as one of the frontrunners to lead the side by many in the absence of Shreyas Iyer in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023).

However, the Kolkata-based franchise handed the position to an Indian player, naming Nitish Rana as the captain on Monday, March 27.

Russell joined hands with KKR in 2014 and was soon elevated to their core group, thanks to his impactful performances with both bat and ball. Given his long association with the franchise and experience of playing T20 cricket all over the world, the West Indian cricketer was considered one of the best candidates to lead the franchise.

The announcement took many fans by surprise, who expressed their disappointment on social media. Here are some of the top reactions on Twitter:

Mohit Jain

@mjainrox

@KKRiders @NitishRana_27 It's a bizarre decision. Andre Russell should have been made the captain because he's a change maker.. Rana is not an impact player.

Vinesh Prabhu

@vlp1994

Anyone apart from Andre Russell or Sunil Narine being KKR's captain is ghor anarth

Shakti Man 💥

@IamShaktiMann

@VedaantMehta @mufaddal_vohra Too inconsistent to become captain. One match he will score 70 + next two match will get out below 10.

Russell should have been the ideal one. That man is the engine room of KKR of last 5-6 sessions. MVP without any doubt.

He should have get his due in the absence of Shreyas.

Ganesh Suryvanshi

@GaneshSuryvans5

@mufaddal_vohra I think Andre Russell is best choice for captain

Santanu Majumdar

@Santanu06587503

@RVCJ_FB Andre Russell

Manish Bhatt

@manishbhattuk

@Sportskeeda The pathetic decision, Shardul Thakur OR Andre Russell would be the most suitable one.

ᕼᑌᑎTEᖇ

@indianshelby

@KKRiders @NitishRana_27 Where is Russell?? He should captain this side

Sabaresan Ramalingam

@Sabare213126

@sunnewstamil @imShard @KKRiders Andre Russell is my choice

While certain fans were unhappy with the decision, a few opined that the team management made the right move by not adding extra pressure on Andre Russell. Here are a few more reactions:

Ajitdeep

@CHAIHOLIC_

KKR appointed Rana as captain.
Good decision this!
Narine is a horrible captain, you can't put more responsibility on Russell.
And lord is lord, he's not captain material.

#IPL #KKR

KRISHNA SRKian

@SRKianKrishnaa

@idhruvrathore Russell ko captaincy dene se faltu pressure mein perform nai kr paega..bindass khele woh..n nitish kkr ka part bhut din se hai toh shreyas ka absence mein thk hai..Delhi ka launda hai shi lead krega.domestic mein bhi captaincy kiya hai ishne🙂

Aditya Kumar

@Adityakr05

@StarkAditya_ I don't understand why you guys aren't getting it ! Russell should be completely free from captaincy pressure. He's beast when he's not in pressure. Narine just proved in ADKR that he's not a Captaincy material either. So Idk why KKR aren't giving captaincy to a player like Rana

🎯DEVI CAPITAL🎯

@DS_790

Why trollers are furious lol. Nitish Rana is the natural choice to lead KKR in absence of Shreyas. It's a no brainer decision. Russell would've been another option but management wanted to go with an Indian. #kkr #TATAIPL2023

r ✰

@itzzRashmi

@Anirudh_1901 @NitishRana_27 Easily. Shardul has just come to KKR. Narine had been poor in the UAE league as captain. Russell has too much load already.

It is worth noting that regular skipper Shreyas Iyer is expected to miss the first half of IPL 2023 due to a back injury. While Rana doesn't have the experience of leading a team in the IPL, the left-handed batter has previously captained Delhi in domestic cricket.

KKR to open their IPL 2023 campaign on April 1

KKR had a sub-par campaign in IPL 2022 as they failed to qualify for the all-important playoffs. Shreyas Iyer and Co. won six and lost eight matches in the league stage, finishing seventh in the points table.

They will look to make amends by coming up with improved performances this year. Furthermore, with the tournament returning to its home-and-away format, Kolkata will once again be seen playing at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The team will open their campaign with an exciting encounter against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in an afternoon clash at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on April 1.

KKR squad for IPL 2023

Players bought - Shakib Al Hasan (₹1.50 crore), N. Jagadeesan (₹90 lakh), Vaibhav Arora (₹60 lakh), Suyash Sharma (₹20 lakh), David Wiese (₹1 crore), Kulwant Khejroliya (₹20 lakh), Litton Das (₹50 lakh), and Mandeep Singh (₹50 lakh).

Players retained: Shreyas Iyer (injured), Nitish Rana (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, and Rinku Singh.

Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️

Edited by
Ankush Das