Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced England star Jason Roy as the replacement of all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for IPL 2023. The Bangladesh all-rounder had recently pulled out owing to international commitments. The franchise which is being led by Nitish Rana this year in the absence of Shreyash Iyer have reportedly roped in Roy for Rs. 2.8 crore. His base price was Rs. 1.5 crore.
The right-handed top-order batter played last played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL back in the 2021 edition and scored 150 runs, featuring in five matches. The batter is known for his attacking style of cricket and has a strike rate in excess of 137 in 64 T20Is for the Three Lions for whom he has amassed 1522 runs.
With Shreyas and Shakib both not available for the season, the two-winners have made a big signing for the rest of the season. The same has been confirmed in a release on IPL's official website.
"Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the tournament owing to a lower back injury while Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has confirmed his unavailability for the season," a statement in this release read.
Overall, Roy has played 13 matches in his IPL career in which he has scored a total of 329 runs at an average of 29.91 and a strike rate of 129.02. He has accumulated those runs with the help of two half-centuries and has smashed a total of 39 fours and nine sixes in the competition. His highest individual score is 91 in IPL cricket history.
Talking about KKR, the team did not get off to a winning start this season and succumbed to a 7-run defeat against Punjab Kings at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.
They will now meet Royal Challengers Bangalore for their second match at their home ground at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata and would hope they get their first points on the board.