KKR rope in England's Roy to fill Iyer and Shakib void

KKR rope in Jason Roy for Rs 2.8 crore

Kolkata Knight Riders have signed England opener Jason Roy for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), the organisers said on Wednesday, to bolster their batting lineup weakened by the absence of Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan.

Kolkata captain Iyer has been ruled out of entire IPL with a lower back injury which would require surgery and keep him out of the World Test Championship final against Australia in June as well.

All-rounder Shakib, currently leading Bangladesh in a one-off test against Ireland in Mirpur, has also conveyed his unavailability citing national team commitments.

Kolkata spent $341,671 to buy Roy, who played the 2021 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the IPL organisers said in a statement.

Playing for Quetta Gladiators, Roy smashed an unbeaten 145 off 63 balls in a Pakistan Super League match against Peshawar Zalmi last month.

IPL champions Gujarat Titans have signed Sri Lanka's white-ball captain Dasun Shanaka to replace New Zealander Kane Williamson, who returned home after a knee injury ended his campaign.

PBKS sign Gurnoor Singh Brar as Angad Bawa's replacement

Punjab Kings announced the signing young all-rounder Gurnoor Singh Brar as a replacement for the injured Raj Angad Bawa in the IPL.

Brar was picked up PBKS for Rs 20 lakh, said a statement issued by the IPL.

Bawa, who played two games for PBKS last season, has been ruled out of the ongoing IPL due to a left shoulder injury.

A left-handed batting all-rounder, Brar made his first-class debut for Punjab in December last year.

The 22-year-old has featured in five first-class matches and scored 107 runs at a strike rate of 120.22 and picked up seven wickets at an economy rate of 3.80.

PBKS defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by seven runs via Duckworth-Lewis method in their IPL 2023 opener here on April 1.

PBKS will take on Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday. 

• IPL 2023