IPL 2023: Jason Roy roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders as Shakib replacement

Add as a preferred source on Google

Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Jason Roy as a replacement for Shakib Al Hasan on Wednesday (April 5). The Knight Riders have roped in the England batter for INR 2.8 crore.

Shakib Al Hasan withdrew himself from the IPL 2023 due to international commitments and personal reasons a couple of days back. The Bangladeshi all-rounder won't be able to play for KKR this season and thus KKR have signed Roy as his replacement.

Jason Roy roped in by KKR for IPL 2023

KKR have roped in Roy for INR 2.8 crore, almost double his base price of INR 1.5 crore. Roy has previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and has scored 329 runs in 13 matches, at a decent strike rate of 129.

The 32-year-old England opener was bought by Gujarat Titans last auction but withdrew from the team. He was subsequently released by the Titans ahead of this IPL. He has played 64 T20I matches for England and has amassed 1522 runs, at an average of 23.8 and strike rate over 137.

The Englishman was outstanding in the recently concluded PSL as well, where he scored 245 runs in just 7 innings while playing for the Quetta Gladiators. He scored 145 runs off 63 balls in a match against Peshawar Zalmi, which was the highest individual score in PSL this season.

KKR missing Shreyas Iyer

KKR are also missing their skipper Shreyas Iyer, who is ruled out with a back injury. Iyer will undergo a back surgery and thus miss the entire IPL 2023 for KKR. He is also going to miss the WTC Final in June, where India will play against Australia.

The Knights appointed Nitish Rana as the captain for this season, but couldn't prevent a losing start to their campaign as they were beaten by Punjab Kings in the first match. KKR will be taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens on Thursday (April 6).

Jason Roy followed KKR on Tuesday

The speculation started on Tuesday after Jason Roy started following Kolkata Knight Riders on Twitter, the only IPL team in his following list. There were rumours the two-time IPL champions may bring him in as a replacement, and it has finally been confirmed on Wednesday.