3 reasons why Jason Roy must immediately slot into KKR's playing XI for IPL 2023
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced that Jason Roy will be joining the franchise for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season. After being unsold at the auction at his base price of ₹1.5 crore, the English opener has now been signed for ₹2.8 crore.
Roy has some prior experience playing in the cash-rich league, having previously represented the Delhi Capitals, the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, and SunRisers Hyderabad.
He last played in the IPL in 2021, scoring 150 runs in five games for SunRisers Hyderabad. In 13 IPL innings, Roy has 329 runs at an average of 29.91. He has also scored 1522 runs, including eight half-centuries, in 64 T20Is.
With KKR captain Shreyas Iyer ruled out of the tournament due to an injury and Shakib Al Hasan opting out of the tournament, the Knight Riders had to look for some replacements. The options at the top of the order don't come much better than Roy.
In this article, we take a look at three reasons why the England opener should slot into KKR's playing XI immediately upon his arrival:
#1 Roy has been in fine form
After a bit of a struggle over the past few months, Roy finally seems to find his best form once again. The England batter broke his recent slump with a century in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), scoring a blistering 145 in 63 balls against Peshawar Zalmi.
He has also scored a couple of centuries in his last six ODI innings, including one against South Africa.
So, the 32-year-old will be looking to carry on his fine form and make his mark for his new franchise in the IPL.
#2 He could be KKR's best player against high-quality pace attacks
One of the main concerns, when the KKR squad was assembled, was the fact that they didn't have enough batting options who could deal comfortably with high-octane pace.
Andre Russell and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are the only two players in the current squad who might seem the most comfortable against quality pace bowlers.
None of the other specialist batters have had the experience of facing bowlers who consistently bowl at over 145 kmph.
Roy, on the other hand, relishes pace on the ball and could be one of the key players for his side purely for that reason.
#3 Brings some much-needed experience and impetus to the side
After Shreyas was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury, KKR turned to Nitish Rana as their captain.
The left-handed batter doesn't have enough experience leading at this level and KKR's batting unit also doesn't boast much international experience either.
With the inclusion of Roy, not only do KKR get some much-needed experience in their batting lineup, but they also get someone who can inject impetus into their innings from the word go and get the team off to a good start.
With all the above points in mind, the Englishman should slot into KKR's playing XI sooner rather than later.