IPL 2023: KKR captaincy just a tag, won't take extra pressure, says Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana, newly appointed captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has said he won't take "extra pressure" because of the extra responsibility as he had already been a part of the team's leadership group.

KKR have named Rana as their new captain with their regular skipper Shreyas Iyer still recovering from a recurring back injury ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Iyer has been ruled out of the first part of the IPL 2023, but is expected to return at some point in the tournament.

While Rana has no prior experience in captaining in the IPL, he has captained Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 12 times, winning 8 of those matches. KKR have hinted that captaincy in the upcoming season will be a collaborative effort with Rana getting good support from senior players and the coaching staff, led by Chandrakant Pandit.

Rana bagged the leadership role ahead of the likes of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, two of the most experienced T20 players.

"It (leadership) is not new for me, for the last 2-3 years I have been part of the leadership group. I have got the captaincy tag this time. For the last 2-3 years, I have been part of the leadership role and I am not going to take extra pressure just because of the tag. It's not good for my game also. I don't think there is anything new. I love taking responsibility," Rana said.

"After 10 days also, there will be pressure. Captaincy is a tag. Whenever you do something for the first time in life, there will be a bit of pressure. As a batter, I have played more than 100 games. A player will be scared of getting out in the first few deliveries," the 29-year-old added.

Rana moved from Mumbai Indians (MI) to KKR in 2018. Since his arrival at Eden Gardens, Rana has played 74 matches, scoring 1,744 runs at a strike-rate of over 130.

Rana went on to add that conditions in the domestic circuit are a tad tougher than in the IPL. In reference to the same, the KKR captain said that he does not have the luxury of falling back on experienced players such as Russell, who has played T20 cricket across the globe, in the domestic circuit.

KKR's new captain is confident that he would receive the guidance and backing of senior players and head coach Chandrakant as the team looks to do well in the 2023 season.

"At the end of the day, cricket is just a game. Situations may differ, the conditions might be very different but whether it's domestic cricket or IPL... man management becomes more important in the IPL because players from different countries have to form a unit," Rana said, explaining the difference between domestic cricket and the IPL.

"I think the pitches and the conditions in domestic cricket are a little more difficult than the ones that you get in the IPL. You also get players depending on those conditions and players with experience. For instance, Andre Russell has played over 400 matches. When you have so much experience in the camp, I don't have to be scared of anything. The senior players, Chandu sir, and all the support staff will be a helping hand. With all this help, I am sure we will do something big," he added.

IPL 2023 is scheduled to begin on March 31, with the opening game set to be between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and reigning champions Gujarat Titans (GT). KKR's first game is against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 1. KKR's first home game is on April 6 when they host Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Eden Gardens.