KKR's Potential Skipper Reportedly Suffers Ankle Injury During Practice Ahead Of IPL 2023
Nitish Rana (Twitter)
Kolkata Knight Riders have received another setback as per reports, as one of their batters, Nitish Rana, has apparently sustained an ankle injury during a practice session at Eden Gardens on March 23. This marks the third significant injury to hit the team, after Lockie Ferguson and Shreyas Iyer suffered injuries prior to the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
While, Ferguson is currently recovering from a hamstring injury and is expected to miss the initial week of the tournament, Iyer's recurring lower back problem may keep him out of action for the first half of the competition.
Rana had already completed two rounds of batting practice and had faced KKR's spinners and net bowlers before he sustained an injury. While batting, he was hit on his left ankle by a ball, causing him to stop practicing.
Despite this, Rana informed Sportskeeda that the injury was not severe. He winced in pain as he took off his shoes and socks to receive treatment for his ankle.
The 29-year-old remained on the ground for a brief period before getting up and limping off to the other side of the pitch. Notably, Rana remained with his teammates for the rest of the training session.
Nitish is all set to play in the upcoming IPL tournament, where he will be joined by West Indian cricketers Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. If Rana's injury worsens, it would be a major setback for the two-time IPL champions, as it would further disrupt their batting lineup.
Nevertheless, there has been no official statement released about the extent of Rana's injury, and it is expected that he will recover quickly.
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