KOLKATA: England opener Jason Roy was on Wednesday roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to give the side a boost following injury to regular captain Shreyas Iyer and the pullout of Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
Roy will miss KKR's home game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday but will be available for selection for the team's next match against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on April 9.
The two-time IPL champions were dealt a huge injury blow when Iyer was ruled out for the entire season due to a back injury, while Shakib pulled out citing personal and national commitments.
"Kolkata Knight Riders have signed England's Jason Roy for Rs 2.8 crore for the TATA IPL 2023 from his base price of Rs 1.5 crore," KKR said in a statement.
Roy, who first featured in the 2017 edition of the IPL for Gujarat Lions, 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 1,522 runs at a strike-rate of 137.61 with eight fifties.
Roy is likely to replace Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who opened in their match against Punjab Kings and scored 22 from 16 balls.
The purple brigade already have N Jagadeesan to don the gloves.