Nitish Rana 'looking forward' to IPL 2023

Having endured a wretched red ball season for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, dashing left-hander Nitish Rana is determined to make amends by playing some vital knocks for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming Indian Premier League.

Rana was dropped from the Ranji team after scores of 14, 40 and 0 and came back in the final game against Mumbai in which he managed only 11 and 6 not out.

T20 is Rana's favourite format and over the years he has played some good knocks for KKR. With a career T20 strike-rate of 136 after 161 shortest format games, Rana is one of the batting mainstays for the Shah Rukh co-owned franchise.

The southpaw took to social media and shared his training video where he was seen striking the ball well.

"I am really looking forward to this season's IPL. I have been training hard and working on the nuances of my game. I am in a great mental space, and I am sure I will be able to contribute towards team success," Rana was quoted as saying in a press release.

Rana has been training with his KKR teammates under former Mumbai stalwart Abhishek Nayar.

"It was great to meet my teammates in the camp. I have always said KKR is like family to me, and I enjoy playing for this team. I have also been working on my bowling, which is a huge addition to my game."

The cricketer also heaped praises on head coach Chandrakant Pandit and assistant coach Nayar.

"Both Chandu Sir and Abhishek Nayar have been inspirational in this preparatory camp and helped me test my limits and push my abilities."

Kolkata Knight Riders will start their IPL campaign against Punjab Kings on April 1 in Mohali.