Reports: Nitish Rana suffers ankle injury during Kolkata Knight Riders’ practice session ahead of IPL 2023

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been handed another blow as reports suggest that batter Nitish Rana suffered an ankle injury during a practice session at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, March 23.

This is the third prominent injury in the KKR camp following injuries to pacer Lockie Ferguson and skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Ferguson is currently nursing a hamstring injury and is likely to be sidelined for the first week of the IPL. Iyer, on the other hand, might miss the first half of the tournament owing to a recurring lower back issue.

Before getting injured, Rana had already batted in two separate nets and faced KKR’s spinners and net bowlers. While batting, one of the balls struck him on the left ankle which forced him to stop practising. However, Sportskeeda approached him and he said that it wasn’t anything major. 

The batter winced in pain as he removed his shoes and socks for treatment of his ankle. The 29-year-old lay on the pitch for some time and then got up and hobbled off to the other side of the ground. Notably, he stayed on the field with all his teammates until the end of the day’s training. 

KKR will take on PBKS in their IPL 2023 opener

Nitish Rana will feature alongside West Indians Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in the forthcoming IPL. It will be a massive blow for the two-time IPL champions if the batter’s injury worsens as their batting line-up would be jolted further. However, there has been no official announcement regarding Rana’s injury as he is likely to make a quick recovery.

Meanwhile, KKR have cancelled Saturday’s practice, and the players will only go for a gym session. The Knights are set to play their first practice match against the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) XI March 25, Saturday. Meanwhile, KKR will lock horns with Punjab Kings in the second match of the upcoming T20 extravaganza as per their IPL 2023 schedule at the Punjab Cricket Association's IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on April 1.

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