Kolkata Knight Riders have struggled to have their foreign players available ahead of the IPL 2023 season. Both of their Bangladeshi acquisitions, Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das are yet to join the team because of their participation for the series of Bangladesh cricket team against Ireland. KKR have already suffered a big setback through injury to their captain Shreyas Iyer and the unavailability of the key foreign cricketers have just added to the crisis. Amidst this, reports surface that Shakib Al Hasan has opted out of the IPL 2023. KKR All-Rounder Venkatesh Iyer Celebrates Roman Reigns' Victory in Wrestlemania Over Cody Rhodes (Watch Video).

It was already confirmed that the Bangladesh players would only be available between April 8 and May 1. Despite repeated requests of NOC to be given, BCB has refused to provide it to the aforementioned players ahead of the only Test match with Ireland and specified that they will only be available after the Test match finishes. Now, according to reports, Shakib Al Hasan has informed Kolkata Knight Riders that he won't be turning up for the IPL 2023 due to personal commitments to his family living in the US. Meanwhile, Litton Das has informed the franchise, he will join as per schedule.

KKR bought Shakib in the IPL 2023 auction for a base price of 1.5 Cr INR. They also secured the services of his Bangladesh teammate Litton Das with a base price of 40 Lakh INR. The franchise and the cricketers expected, they will be provided NOC by Bangladesh cricket board after the white-ball series against Ireland ending on March 31. But with BCB clearly stating about limited availability of their players, it did create some tension amidst several parties involved including both the boards of the nation and the cricketers who had the IPL contract. KKR Team in IPL 2023: Schedule, Player List and Squad Analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders in TATA Indian Premier League 16.

Kolkata Knight Riders have started their IPL 2023 campaign with a loss against Punjab Kings in the first match via DLS method. Although newly appointed captain Nitish Rana is certain that the match was not over when rain stopped play and it was unfortunate. KKR return to their home ground Eden Gardens on April 6 to face RCB.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 03, 2023 08:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).