Big Blow for KKR! Star All-rounder Withdraws from IPL 2023 season

Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t have a great start to the season. Punjab Kings defeated them by 7 runs (DLS method) in the second game of IPL 2023.

KKR don’t have a great squad for the season. The injury to Shreyas Iyer didn’t help their case either. Now, they have to suffer another big blow.

Shakib Al Hasan withdraws his name from IPL 2023

After Shreyas Iyer’s unavailability for the first half of the season, Shakib Al Hasan has also pulled off his name from this season. The Bangladesh all-rounder is not going to feature in any game this year.

Shakib was bought in by Kolkata Knight Riders at a base price of 1.50 crores in the min-auction before the start of the season. Initially, he was expected to join the rest of the squad after the end of the Ireland series. But Shakib has suddenly decided to not feature in the cash-rich league this season.

The national commitments might be a reason for this decision. Bangladesh are scheduled to play a Test match against Ireland starting tomorrow (April 4) in Mirpur. The team management might have wanted Shakib to stay back in Bangladesh for this red-ball game.

This is a big blow for Kolkata Knight Riders as they bought in Shakib due to his vast experience. Shakib’s presence must have definitely helped KKR while moving ahead in the season.

Shreyas Iyer’s availability for the season is still unknown, and now Shakib’s absence will haunt KKR further. Shakib had played for Kolkata Knight Riders earlier and might have contributed to the team’s cause.

Whether KKR will announce a replacement is not known yet. Kolkata Knight Riders play their next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore at their home ground, Eden Gardens. They would hope for a better show than their opening encounter.