English opener Jason Roy has joined the KKR Camp in Ahmedabad, after strong showing at the recently concluded PSL. Roy has turned out for Surrey, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Perth Scorchers, Quetta Gladiators etc. in an illustrious career that began all the way back in 2008. Incidentally, Roy made his IPL debut against the Knights in 2017, and has amassed a total of 329 runs in 13 innings with a highest score of 91* at an average of 29.91 and strike rate of 129.02 in the IPL. The English opener has hit 39 boundaries and 9 maximums in the Indian league as well. In International T20s, Roy has scored 1522 runs in 64 matches at a strike rate of 137.08. Overall he has played a total of 173 T20 matches, scoring 5,036 runs at an average of 31.33 and a strike rate of 142.54. He has 1 century and 32 half-centuries to his name in the format. Roy is also a valuable asset in the field, with 54 catches and 7 run-outs to his name.
Roy has the ability to get going from ball 1 and put the pressure on the opposition, making him an exciting addition to the Knights top order. In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Roy’s presence in the dressing room will also help the young batters in the squad. The Englishman is coming into the IPL in a rich vein of form following his impressive exploits in the recently concluded PSL and ODI series against Bangladesh. His innings of 145* of 63 balls against Zalmi in March, while chasing 240 runs on the board to take the Quetta Gladiators home is the highest ever individual score by a batsman in PSL history.
Back in the IPL after missing out last season due to personal commitments, Roy expressed his delight at joining the Kolkata Knight Riders, sharing his excitement to work with the squad and the support staff. Having already joined the squad before Sunday’s face-off against the Titans, Roy will look to quickly get up to speed, as a debut in Purple and Gold beckons.
