KKR signed Veteran English opener to replace Shakib Al Hasan' for IPL 2023 to strengthen their batting order

After losing skipper Shreyas Iyer, the two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders suffered another blow when star Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan confirmed that he will be unavailable for the entire 16th edition of the Indian Premier League.

Amid all the developments, the franchise has announced the replacement for Shakib for the remainder of the 2023 season. They have named the veteran explosive English opener Jason Roy, and he will join the team soon. Notably, Roy was signed for INR 2.8 crore for his base price of INR 1.5 crore.

However, Iyer's replacement hasn't been announced yet, and it appears that the franchise isn't in the mood to sign any replacement for their captain. Roy made his IPL debut in 2017 for the Gujarat Lions. Then, he was part of the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for 2018. He was ruled out of the 2020 season as well.

Then, in 2021, he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad and played a few games. Overall, he has played 13 games and scored 329 runs at an average of 29.90 and a strike rate of 129.01 with a best of 91 not out, including two half-centuries.

Speaking of his T20I record, he has played 64 games for England and scored 1522 runs at a strike rate of 137.61, including 8 half-centuries. Notably, Shakib pulled out of the IPL due to his national duties and family commitments. Although, KKR didn't have a great start to the IPL 2023. They lost their first game against Punjab Kings by seven runs by DLS method.

The two-time champion will now face Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next game on Thursday at the Eden Gardens. Stand-in skipper Nitish Rana would like a good performance from his team to register their first win on the board. But they have the all-spirited RCB in front of them, which will be a tough opponent.