Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) roped England opener Jason Roy as a replacement for Shakib al Hasan who opted out of IPL for national duties.
KKR have signed the English batter for INR 2.8 crore for the season from his base price of INR 1.5 crore. Shakib was picked at the base price of 1.5 crore from the 2023 auction.
Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the tournament owing to a lower back injury while Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib has confirmed his unavailability due to the tight schedule in April-May.
Shakib would have had only 20 days available to play in the IPL because Bangladesh was scheduled to tour England for a series against Ireland. He also choose to travel to the United States instead because of family commitments.
Roy 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, scored 1522 runs with the bat at a strike rate of 137.61 with 8 fifties.
