In light of the unavailability of their regular skipper Shreyas Iyer and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for the entire season of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have roped in star English all-rounder Jason Roy as a replacement.
We can't be more excited to share this news with you, fam! 🤩
Shreyas Iyer has been at the National Rehabilitation Centre (NCA) since the Ahmedabad Test against Australia because of a recurring back injury. There have been speculations that he will also miss the World Test Championship (WTC) final as he is set to undergo surgery.
Meanwhile, in another significant blow, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has opted out for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to his international commitments and personal reasons.
“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,” IPL said in a statement.
Jason Roy made his IPL debut in 2017 for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, followed by stints with Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was picked up by the Gujarat Titans at the IPL 2022 mega auction but had to pull out of the tournament due to personal reasons.
The 32-year-old has played 64 T20Is for England, scoring 1522 runs at a strike rate of 137.61 with 8 fifties to his name. He has been on fire lately, hitting two centuries in the last four games.
He made an impressive comeback to the England ODI team with a magnificent hundred against Bangladesh in the second ODI, and then followed it up with a breathtaking knock of unbeaten 145 runs off just 63 balls in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the Quetta Gladiators.
Kolkata Knight Riders kicked off their tournament campaign with a seven runs defeat to Punjab Kings in Mohali. They are set to face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday at Eden Garnet, Kolkata.
