Shreyas Iyer Ruled Out Of IPL 2023, WTC Final; To Travel Overseas For Back Surgery – Report

New Delhi: India batter Shreyas Iyer, who complained of back pain during the fourt Test against Australia last month, has been ruled out of ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and the World Test Championship (WTC) final, according to reports.

Based on the ESPNcricinfo report, Iyer has agreed to go under the knife. He will be travelling overseas for the surgery and is expected to be out of action for atleast five months before the right-hander can resume playing cricket.

That would mean that his participation in the 50-over World Cup in India in October-November could be touch and go. “Yes, he will have his back surgery abroad. He is likely to be out of action for at least five months with full rehabilitation,” a BCCI source PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The WTC final will be played between India and Australia in London from June 7. The recurring lower-back injury had forced Iyer out of the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last month, before ruling him out of the ODI series against Australia that followed.

His injury surfaced in December last, following India’s tour of Bangladesh. In Iyer’s absence, Nitish Rana was named interim KKR captain ahead of this IPL season.