Cricket News
Top 3 captaincy contenders for Kolkata in absence of Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming Indian T20 League
The 16th season of the Indian T20 League is set to begin on March 31 as Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat will take on MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the inaugural game. Meanwhile, some teams have begun their preparations while some are still looking for replacements for injured players. Meanwhile, tensions have risen in the Kolkata camp as captain Shreyas Iyer is expected to be added to the long injured list.
Iyer’s back injury has flared up once again and his condition is not looking good. Notably, after fielding for two days in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy, he didn’t even bat for India in the first innings. After the game, skipper Rohit Sharma also raised concerns over his participation as he said that Iyer’s injury is not looking good at the moment.
However, Kolkata’s team management will be assessing the situation and will be looking for a replacement for the skipper. In this article, we will discuss the top three contenders for the leadership role of the franchise.
3. Sunil Naraine
Sunil Naraine (Source: Twitter)
West Indies superstar Sunil Naraine has been phenomenal throughout fifteen years of the Indian T20 League. He has been amazing and a go-to all-rounder for the team. He has not only delivered match-winning performances with the ball but also with the bat as he frequently opened the innings for Kolkata.
Narine has only played for Kolkata in his whole Indian T20 League career, demonstrating how important he is to the team. He has 152 wickets at a remarkable economy of 6.63 in 148 games including a five-wicket haul. Narine has accumulated 1025 runs with a strike rate of 162.7.
Apart from these numbers, Naraine also has some leadership skills and has captained a T20 team in several other leagues. This makes him one of the most important assets for the Kolkata in absence of Shreyas Iyer.
