Shreyas Iyer Injury update - KKR skipper ruled out of IPL 2023, to also miss WTC Final

India's star middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition. The two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who got off to a losing start in the ongoing edition, were dealt with a huge blow when Shakib Al Hasan withdraw from the current season and now more miseries have been added with their regular captain Iyer being ruled out. In addition, Iyer will miss the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia, at The Oval, London, in early June as he will undergo a back surgery.

As per ESPNcricinfo, Iyer will be travelling overseas for the surgery and, thus, will be out of cricketing action for at least three months before he resumes training. The 28-year-old has been dealing with back issues for a long time. He had missed the first Test of the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2022/23 edition before his back complaints resurfaced during the final Test, in Ahmedabad. As a result, he missed the three-match ODI series versus Australia. Before the India-Australia Tests, hehad experienced problems due to the same injury in December after the end of India's tour of Bangladesh.

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In Iyer's absence, Nitish Rana was made KKR's interim captain and will now lead the side in the remainder of the IPL 2023 edition. Moreover, Rohit Sharma-led India will have to find a suitable replacement for Iyer before they square off versus Australia in the WTC finale, to be held in the United Kingdom soon after the conclusion of the ongoing IPL season.

Meanwhile, Iyer is expected to remain out of action till June end but it will all depend on how his surgery goes abroad. The batter will be aiming to return to the Indian team before Asia Cup 2023, which will be followed by the ICC ODI World Cup -- to be held in India in October-November.