3 players who can bat at number 3 for KKR if Shreyas Iyer misses a part of IPL 2023
The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) is less than three weeks away, with the final international matches before the start of the mega-tournament taking place. There have been some repercussions from recent international matches on players and teams in the IPL, with player injuries an unfortunate part of that.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer suffered a recurrence of a back injury in the fourth India-Australia Test in Ahmedabad and didn't come out to bat as a result. He has subsequently been ruled out of the ODI series and could miss part of IPL 2023, in what is a big blow to KKR.
Shreyas Iyer ruled out of the ODI series against Australia. Could miss the start of the IPL as well. (Reported by Indian Express).
Shreyas Iyer was the team's highest run-scorer last season and a crucial part of their batting order, playing the anchor role at No.3. It'll be interesting to see who bats in that position if he indeed misses the start of the tournament.
Let's look at three players who could bat at No.3 for KKR if Shreyas Iyer misses a part of IPL 2023.
#3 Rinku Singh
KKR have invested in Rinku Singh's potential for quite a while and the UP youngster finally seems to be paying them the dividends. In what was his most successful IPL season, Rinku Singh performed the finisher's role very well, scoring 174 runs in seven games, averaging 34.80 and scoring at a strike rate of close to 150.
While he has predominantly batted lower down the order for KKR, he bats in the top order for his state team across formats, and it won't be a huge leap for him to bat at No.3.
An aggressive and fearless stroke maker, Rinku would be a handful for opposition bowlers once he gets going and while he doesn't provide the stability or control Shreyas Iyer would, he gives them a counterattacking option at No.3, similar to what Moeen Ali does for CSK.
#2 Shakib Al Hasan
One of the most decorated T20 all-rounders, Shakib Al Hasan is always a smart acquisition, no matter which team signs him. He's the second-highest wicket-taker in T20I history and is also a solid batter, especially higher up the order. Now, it isn't clear if Shakib will make the KKR playing XI due to their overseas combination.
With Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Lockie Ferguson locked in, it's a toss-up between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Shakib, and given the experience and flexibility he gives to the team, they should go with Shakib. He regularly bats at No.3 or No.4 for the Bangladesh national side and this role shouldn't be new for him.
Similar in profile to Shreya Iyer, Shakib isn't an explosive batter but is someone who can control the innings. He is an excellent player of spin and is capable of changing gears at will.
#1 Nitish Rana
Probably the most obvious and easiest choice to take up the No.3 spot for KKR is someone who has batted in that position plenty of times before, Nitish Rana. The southpaw moved down the order, predominantly batting at No.4 in IPL 2022, with Shreyas and him stitching some crucial partnerships for the side.
An attacking batter who is also an excellent player of spin, Rana was one of KKR's better players last season. He scored 361 runs at an average of 27.77 and a stellar strike rate of 143.52. He has batted in the No.3 position in the past and has been fairly successful for KKR.
If the team management don't want to experiment or try anything radical, they could play it safe and go with Nitish Rana at No.3.