In a major blow for Kolkata Knight Riders Shreyas Iyer may end up missing the initial matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, according to a report by Times of India. The report claimed that the batter's old back injury has flared up once again following his 95-run knock for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha. In 2023, Iyer underwent surgery due to the same injury and the recent development can rule him out of the first few matches of IPL 2024. “It is not looking good. It is the same back injury which has got aggravated. It is unlikely he will take the field on Day 5 of the Ranji Trophy final. He is in danger of missing the initial matches of the IPL,” a source told Times Of India in the report.
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Iyer suffered back spasms during his 95-run knock and had to be checked twice by the Mumbai team physio. He also did not take the field for Mumbai on Wednesday and the report claimed that it is highly unlikely that he will play a further part in the Ranji Trophy final. Iyer had earlier complained about this injury during the recently concluded Test series against England. “During the recently-held Test series against England at home, he had told the Indian team management about this injury troubling him again,” the source said. However, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) said that he has no new injury concerns. Iyer had underwent a back surgery last year before making a comeback just before the World Cup. He played four months of international cricket before complaining of the back pain again.. The Knight Riders play their tournament opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23.Iyer is currently playing the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 final at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. IPL is a crucial tournament for Iyer after he was left out of BCCI's central contract list.
