Jason Roy, the starting player for England, has announced his departure from the forthcoming season, claiming personal reasons, just days before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 gets underway. Roy, who was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has chosen not to compete in the renowned competition for the second time in three seasons.
Prior contributions
With his aggressive hitting style, Roy was a standout player for the Knight Riders in the previous IPL season. Roy had an effect even though he missed part of the tournament due to injury; in eight matches, he amassed 283 runs at an average of 35.83 and a strong strike rate of 151.60.
Jason Roy’s varied endeavors in cricket
Roy signed contracts with the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in Major League Cricket and the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 after joining KKR. Interestingly, he turned down an England Cricket Board (ECB) central contract. He was picked up by the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2022 mega auction, but he pulled out of the competition before it started. Apart from that, Roy played for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2017 and 2018.
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KKR announces Roy’s replacement
Roy’s withdrawal has led KKR to quickly announce Phil Salt as Roy’s 2024 teammate. Second in the ICC T20I batting rankings right now is Salt, another gifted English opener. During his 2023 IPL season, Salt was a member of the Delhi Capitals (DC), where he demonstrated his batting talent by amassing 218 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 163.91 and an average of 27.15.
Although Salt was not selected in the IPL auction for the current season, his presence gives KKR’s batting order more depth. For INR 1.5 crore, KKR was able to get Salt’s services, as per an IPL announcement.