Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), one of the 10 teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), have acquired the services of England’s explosive opening batter Jason Roy for the ongoing season. Roy has been bought by the Knight Riders for INR 2.8 crore, which is higher than his base price of INR 1.5 crore.
Notably, Shreyas Iyer, who was supposed to lead the Knight Riders, has been ruled out of the tournament due to a lower back injury. Similarly, Shakib Al Hasan, the veteran Bangladeshi cricketer, has also withdrawn from the tournament, citing personal reasons.
For the unversed, Roy is not new to the cash-rich league, having previously played for KKR itself in 2017 and 2018, and for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2021. In the last season, the right-handed batter scored 150 runs in five games, with a highest score of 60.
Having such experience in the lucrative tournament, Roy will be expected to make valuable contributions to his team in the upcoming fixtures. When it comes to the international arena, Roy has also represented England in 64 T20Is, where he has scored 1522 runs with a strike rate of 137.61, including eight half-centuries to his name.
While KKR have signed Roy for a higher price than his base, the 2-time champions will miss the services of Iyer as well as Shakib.
“Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed England’s Jason Roy for INR 2.8 crore for the TATA IPL 2023 from his base price of INR 1.5 crore. 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,” read an IPLT20 media release.
