Kolkata Knight Riders have offset the exit of one English hard-hitting batter by roping in another, ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024 season. With Jason Roy pulling out due to "personal reasons", KKR have inducted Phil Salt in their squad. (More Cricket News)

Salt, who went unsold at the IPL mini auction in December last year, has been bought at his reserve price of INR 1.5 crore. The 27-year-old had smashed two T20 international centuries (109 not out and 119) in his previous three appearances, but those knocks came on the verge of the auction. His 48-ball ton in the fourth T20I at Trinidad is also the joint-fastest for an England cricketer.

This will be wicketkeeper-batter Salt's second IPL season, having represented Delhi Capitals last season. Meanwhile, this is the third time that Roy has withdrawn from an IPL edition. The 33-year-old top-order batter had opted out in 2020, when he was with Delhi Capitals, for personal reasons and then in 2022 while on the Gujarat Titans rolls, as he took an "indefinite break" from the game.

"Kolkata Knight Riders have named Phil Salt as a replacement for Jason Roy after the latter pulled out of the upcoming TATA IPL 2024 owing to personal reasons," an IPL media release said.

Shreyas Iyer, who is out of a central BCCI contract, will captain KKR in the forthcoming season. The franchise will play its tournament opener on the second day of the tournament, March 23, against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens.