Shreyas Iyer off the field for second straight day in Ranji Trophy final

For two days in a row, Shreyas Iyer hasn’t come out to field in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium. According to the Times of India, Iyer‘s back injury seems to have flared up again during his knock of 95 in the second innings.

During his 111-ball stay on Tuesday, Iyer had to twice seek treatment from the Mumbai physio and didn’t come out to field on Wednesday. It’s being reported that the middle-order batter went to hospital for a scan of his back.

Last year, Iyer underwent a back surgery before returning to action during the Asia Cup in August-September. Now with the latest setback, there is a possibility of him missing the start of the upcoming Indian Premier League.

Iyer, who missed the last IPL, is set to captain Kolkata Knight Riders who will commence their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23.

“It’s not looking good. It’s the same back injury which has got aggravated. It’s unlikely that he will take the field on Day 5 of the Ranji Trophy final. He is in danger of missing the initial matches of the IPL,” a source told TOI.

Recently after the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, Iyer complaint of experiencing discomfort in his back while playing long innings. The BCCI's medical staff cleared him of any injury but Iyer was dropped for the remaining three Tests. 

Despite being declared fit, Iyer told the Mumbai team management that he wasn’t fit and made himself unavailable for the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Baroda. Iyer then went on to attend the pre-season camp for KKR, which didn’t quite go well with the Indian team management and  the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

After the third Test against England, Shah wrote a letter to the centrally contracted players, asking them not to prioritize the IPL over current commitments with the state and national teams. “Performance in domestic tournaments remains a critical yardstick for selection, and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications.”

As a result, Iyer wasn’t offered a central contract. Post that, he featured in the semi-final against Tamil Nadu but got out after scoring just 3 runs. Iyer was out for 7 in the first innings of the final but responded well in the second essay.

(Image credit - PTI)