IPL 2024: KKR captain Shreyas Iyer declared fit to play but with a caveat

Indian batter Shreyas Iyer has been given the green light to participate in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), albeit with a caveat.

The doctors declared Iyer fit but warned not to lunge too much while playing the forward defence as it could aggravate his recurring back injury.

Iyer had missed out on the last two days of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy final victory, citing back issues. Afterwards, reports started swirling around that Iyer might skip the initial phase of IPL.

“He is fit to play, a specialist spine doctor was consulted in Mumbai who has advised him not to stretch his leg too forward while defending the ball. He has joined IPL franchise KKR and he can play,” a source in the Indian cricket board was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Iyer, who scored an impressive 95 in the second innings against Vidarbha, had to be attended twice for back pain, later undergoing scans for the same, raising questions on his availability for his side’s opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23.

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Iyer and his back injury have made enough headlines over the past 18 months. The right-handed batter underwent back surgery last year that kept him out of action for nearly six months, during which he missed last year’s IPL and the World Test Championship final against Australia in June, which India lost.

Iyer returned to action ahead of the Asia Cup in August before featuring at number four in the home World Cup later in the year. His exploits helped India reach the finals, but he failed to inspire the home team to go past the mighty Aussies as they won the all-important clash by six wickets to lift the trophy for a record sixth time.

IPL 2024 to start

The latest edition of the IPL will begin on March 22 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings squaring up against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

KKR are two-time champions and would hope that Iyer plays the entire tournament for the franchise to have a better chance of reaching the knockouts. Prior to KKR, Iyer was a pivotal part of Delhi Capitals and led them to their first playoffs in 2019 after seven seasons.