3 reasons why KKR signing Jason Roy is the wrong move
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have had to deal with quite a few concerns with regards to the availability of a few of their players. The biggest of concerns was pertaining to their captain Shreyas Iyer, who has now been ruled out of the tournament. Iyer's absence has left a massive hole in the Knight Riders' squad as they will not only miss his leadership but his solid batting as well.
To add to their woes, Shakib Al Hasan pulled out of IPL 2023 recently owing to personal issues. Now, to bolster their squad, KKR have signed England's Jason Roy.
Roy has previously featured in the IPL for Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Lions, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has a decent record as he averages a shade under 30 and has a strike-rate of 129.02 but there is a school of thought which suggests that KKR has erred by opting for Roy.
Here, we look at 3 reasons why Kolkata signing Jason Roy is the wrong move:
#1 Inconsistency
Consistency has never been Jason Roy's friend. Roy is not someone who can be banked upon to deliver for the team on a regular basis. He can be lethal on his day but he can also be absolutely terrible on another. This is not really an ideal option to have for KKR as they already possess the services of quite a few such players.
He recently returned to form recently, smashing a fine century in an ODI but was unable to back it up with decent contributions, often falling for low scores.
#2 Technical issues
Jason Roy has had plenty of technical issues over the last few years, especially in the last year or so. His problems against the moving ball saw him endure a terrible run last year which eventually led to him being dropped from England's squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup. His vulnerable technique exposes him at the top of the order when the new ball swings.
#3 KKR already have enough openers
With the presence of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Mandeep Singh, Narayanan Jagadeesan, Kolkata Knight Riders already have enough opening options in the squad.
This makes it extremely difficult to understand why KKR have gone for Jason Roy when they could have instead opted for someone who can offer solidity in the middle-order, especially considering that Shreyas Iyer is ruled out of the season.