IPL 2023: 'I Don't Follow Anyone,' Says Confident Nitish Rana On New Role As Kolkata Knight Riders Captain

IPL 2023: Veteran KKR batter, Nitish Rana is set to lead the Kolkata franchise in the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 29-year-old will replace injured Shreyas Iyer who is recovering from a back injury and is likely to be sidelined for at least half of the IPL 2023 season.

This is not the first time Nitish will lead a cricket team. Rana was named captain of the Delhi Ranji team in November 2018. New coach Chandrakant Pandit was all praise for the left-handed batter as captain and he even said that Rana for him ticks all the boxes as the new KKR skipper. (IPL 2023: 'Arrogant And Cocky,' AB de Villiers Reveals Shocking First Impression Of Virat Kohli)

When asked about how he feels about taking the captaincy role Rana said, "Responsibility is there but I like to take that responsibility. It is very unfortunate for the team that Shreyas Iyer got injured and obviously, he will be missed. However, overall if we keep that aside, the team looks very strong on paper and I am confident we will do well this season." (Big Blow For MS Dhoni's CSK, Ben Stokes Will Not Bowl In First Few Matches Of IPL 2023)

Rana was also asked as his idol as a captain with the mention of names like MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly and more, to which he replied, "I don't follow anyone because I think I will lose myself and I want to do it my way."

"I have played under great leaders like Shreyas, Gautam Bhaiya, Eoin Morgan and more, it is a privilege. I haven't played under Sourav Ganguly but all the world knows how much good he has done for the country and KKR."

"We hope that Shreyas Iyer will be coming back soon, just like Nitish said that it is unfortunate and his presence will make a lot of difference whether he is here or not," said coach Chandrakant Pandit on KKR missing their regular skipper Shreyas Iyer.