Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have faced a setback in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as their star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has pulled himself out of the tournament due to personal reasons and international commitments. This decision has hit the Kolkata-based franchise hard, as Shakib was one of the strongest players in their squad.
The absence of Shakib will create a void in the KKR team. He has been a valuable asset for them, and due to his absence, they have to change many things in the upcoming matches. KKR will have to look for replacements or shuffle their batting order and bowling strategies to compensate for him.
Bangladesh are currently playing against Ireland, and Shakib has international commitments. Therefore, he won’t be available for the whole IPL 2023 season. However, his teammate Litton Das will join the Knight Riders camp after completing the one-ff Test against Ireland.
Shakib has played 71 matches in his IPL career and smashed 793 runs. He also has 63 wickets to his name. The left-hander was bought by KKR at the 2022 IPL Auction for his base price of ₹1.5 crore.
During the opening match of IPL 2023, the Nitish Rana-led KKR struggled against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The team’s batting order collapsed while chasing a daunting total and lost the rain-affected contest by seven runs (DLS) method. Shakib’s absence in the KKR camp will be felt even more after this loss, and the management will have to work hard to pick up the best possible combination.