IPL 2023: Shanaka To Nabi, 3 Players Who Can Replace Shakib In KKR Squad

IPL 2023: With Shakib Al Hasan out of the IPL season, check his possible replacements for the Kolkata Knight Riders below

Source: Twitter

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered from a huge blow as veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has opted out of the IPL 2023 due to personal reasons. The Bangladesh cricketer was bought for a massive price tag of Rs 1.5 crore by the Kolkata franchise at the mini-auction. Anyways, Shakib could have only played for 20 days in the ongoing IPL as Bangladesh Cricketer Board had informed BCCI that their players need to play cricket for their country against Ireland. All Bangladeshi cricketers playing in the IPL will only be available from April 8 to May 1 (those selected in the national team).

With Shakib out of the tournament, KKR have a huge gap to fill in which is not an easy task arguably. As per reports, the all-rounder called the KKR management and informed his desire to pull out of the tournament due to personal commitments. (WATCH: MS Dhoni Warns Chennai Super Kings Bowlers, Improve Or ‘Play Under New Captain’ After LSG Win)

KKR are already missing their first-choice captain Shreyas Iyer due to an injury and the news of Shakib also missing out on the IPL just makes it more difficult for new coach Chandrakant Pandit and skipper Nitish Rana.

Here are three players who can replace the veteran all-rounder:

Dasun Shanaka

The Sri Lanka captain is one of the best in the business at the moment. He has played some game-changing knocks time and time again while batting in the middle order.

Mohammad Nabi

With plenty of experience, whether we talk about international or franchise cricket, Nabi is a perfect fit for KKR and can bring a lot of balance if the team considers him as a bowling option as well.

Wayne Parnell

South Africa's left-arm pacer can bring depth to their bowling as he has plenty of experience in T20 cricket. He can be the 'X-factor' in their bowling lineup and can be handy with the bat as well.