The injury was caused by an impinged nerve from a bulged disc in the lower back area on the right side, which has been bothering Iyer since he returned from the Bangladesh series last December. Despite receiving six injections, Iyer continued to experience discomfort and was ruled out of the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka in January, and the opening Test of the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in February.
Iyer returned for the next three Tests of the four-match series, but did not came out to bat in the first innings of the fourthTest in Ahmedabad and was eventually ruled out of the match.
The Mumbaikar has been undergoing rehab under the care of BCCI’s medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore but has not been able to train, leading to his extended absence.
The Knight Riders had hoped that Iyer would be able to return for the second half of the IPL season, but his recovery has not progressed as expected. As a result, Nitish Rana was named as the stand-in captain for this year’s IPL.
Iyer’s absence will be a significant loss for the Knight Riders, as he was a crucial middle-order batter as well. He had been in good form off late, and scored 509 runs at an average of 42.41 in the 2021 IPL season.
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