IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders rope in Jason Roy for remainder of season

Jason Roy. (Photo Source: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Two-time IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders have roped in English batting ace Jason Roy for the 16th edition of the tournament. The Kolkata-based franchise, who lost their IPL 2023 campaign opener against Punjab Kings, announced the signing of the English opener for INR 2.8 crore on Wednesday, April 5.

KKR were dealt a huge blow after skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the 16th edition of the tournament due to a back injury. Their woes worsened after veteran Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan also pulled out of the tournament earlier this week.

“Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed England’s Jason Roy for INR 2.8 crore for 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.Roy, who earlier featured in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, last played in the 2021 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2021, he played five games, scoring 150 runs including a half-century. The 32-year-old has played 64 T20Is for England, scoring 1522 runs at a S/R of 137.61 with 8 fifties,” read IPL’s official Media Advisory.

The 32-year-old explosive opener last featured in the 2021 edition of the tournament for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Roy endured an indifferent 2022 and was constantly in and out of the national team due to a barren run with the bat. However, he has rediscovered his form in white-ball cricket since the turn of the year and marked his return to form with ODI centuries against South Africa and Bangladesh. His second last outing in competitive cricket came for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL where he smashed a mind-boggling 145 runs in just 63 balls.