Sunil Narine & Shardul Thakur are the names in discussion for the captaincy of KKR

Shreyas Iyer was almost ruled out of the IPL due to a serious back injury. The Kolkata Knight Riders are set to name a new captain for IPL 2023 in the next couple of days.

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Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine in race for KKR

TOI has learned that the job could go to either India’s pace bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur. Or veteran West Indies’ spin bowling all-rounder Sunil Narine, who has been a stellar performer for the franchise since he joined them in 2012.

KKR is set to make the announcement of their new captain in a grand function

“Within a day or two, KKR is 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,” a source told TOI.

The new KKR captain will have to attend the IPL captains’ meeting in Ahmedabad on March 30

The new KKR captain will have to attend the IPL captains’ meeting in Ahmedabad on March 30. KKR play their first match against Punjab Kings at Mohali on April 1.

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Thakur bought for Rs 10.75 crore for IPL 2022

According to sources, Thakur, who was traded by the Delhi Capitals for IPL 2023, they bought for Rs 10.75 crore for IPL 2022, to the Knight Riders after a trade with the Delhi Capitals, has an edge over Narine as the Mumbaikar is expected to communicate better with the Indian players at KKR.

What could also work against Narine is his poor captaincy stint with the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders recently in the inaugural season of the ILT20 in the UAE. There the team logged just a single win and suffered eight defeats to finish at the bottom of the table in the six-team tournament.