Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Nitish Rana is on the road to recovery from a finger injury and could be back in action for the latter stages of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
KKR shared a video on X in which Nitish Rana was seen practicing without bandages on his fingers. His availability would be a significant boost to KKR's batting lineup as they aim for a playoff berth.
Watch video here:
Rana sustained the injury during KKR's IPL opener against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 23 and has missed the subsequent eight games. He managed just nine runs in KKR's narrow four-run win over SRH. He was a key player in their middle order last season, scoring 413 runs in 14 matches while captaining the team. However, KKR finished seventh in 2023.
Strong Start for KKR in 2024:
KKR is currently in second place in the IPL standings with 12 points from nine games. They trail only the Rajasthan Royals, who have 16 points from nine games.
KKR needs just four more points to mathematically secure a playoff spot. Historically, teams with 14 points have qualified for the IPL playoffs, but KKR would likely want to win at least three of their remaining seven matches to ensure qualification with certainty.
Their upcoming matches are against the Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians again. These matches will be crucial for KKR to secure a playoff berth.
The Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata team will face the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians in their next IPL match on Friday, April 3, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Mumbai Indians are currently ninth in the IPL standings with only six points from 10 games.