Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Aarya Desai for the remainder of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023).
Desai, who represents Gujarat in domestic cricket, has played 3 First-Class matches and has 151 runs against his name. The 20-year-old joins KKR for Rs 20 Lakh. Desai made his first-class debut in January and is yet to play List A or T20 cricket for his state team.
Also Check: TATA IPL 2023 Points Table
“Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday brought Aarya Desai on board for the remainder of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Desai, who represents Gujarat in domestic cricket, has played 3 First-Class matches and has 151 runs against his name. He joins KKR for INR 20 Lakh,” the IPL said in a statement.
However, it was not mentioned who he replaced in the team. Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan have been ruled out of the IPL 2023 for KKR.
Earlier, Shakib reportedly cited ‘international commitments and personal issues’ as reasons for his pulling out. Shakib’s stint with KKR would have been for just three weeks between April 9 to May 1. Shakib, aged 36 was bought by KKR for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore.
Meanwhile, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer is expected to be out of action for at least three months as he’s set to undergo back surgery. He’s also expected to miss the final of the ICC World Test Championship slated to be played in June.
Iyer has been troubled by the back injury since he returned home from the Bangladesh tour.
KKR began their season with a defeat to Punjab Kings Mohali. However, the Nitish Rana-led side bounced back with back-to-back wins against Royal Challengers Bangalore and defending champions Gujarat Titans.
