Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have announced Karun Nair as the replacement for their skipper KL Rahul for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021," the franchise announced. Rahul had earlier taken to social media on Friday (May 5) to announce that he will undergo surgery on his injured thigh (torn tendon), ruling himself out of the IPL and also the World Test Championship (WTC) final agianst Australia in June.

Nair, who first played in the IPL in 2014, scored 1,496 runs at a strike-rate of 127.75 in 76 matches. He last played for Rajasthan Royals (RR) last season, playing three games, managing just 16 runs. 

Speaking on joining LSG for the season, he said “Really happy to be joining the Super Giants. I wish KL a speedy recovery and hope he comes back stronger. Look forward to meeting my teammates very soon and contributing to the team”.

Rahul injured himself on the field while chasing the ball against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday (May 1) and did not take field after that. He came into bat at No. 11, faced just three balls as his side succumbed to 1n 18-run loss. 

In his absence, Krunal Pandya led the side against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and by the looks of it, he will continue to lead the franchise for the rest of the season.

Lucknow are next in action against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday (May 7).