Shreyas Iyer to undergo surgery abroad, to miss entire IPL and WTC final

The recurring lower-back injury forced Iyer out of the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last month, before ruling him out of the ODI series against Australia

India batter Shreyas Iyer will miss the entire IPL as well as the World Test Championship final in June against Australia as he is set to undergo back surgery abroad, according to BCCI sources.

Iyer, who is the captain of the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, is expected to be out of action for at least five months. That would mean that his participation in the 50-over World Cup in India in October-November could be touch and go.

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"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 year, following India's tour of Bangladesh.

In Iyer's absence, Nitish Rana was named interim KKR captain ahead of this IPL season.