KKR rope-in Aarya Desai for remainder of IPL 2023

With injuries mounting, Kolkata Knight Riders have roped in Gujarat’s Aarya Desai for the remainder of the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Desai is the second replacement the Knight Riders have brought in in as many weeks, having earlier snapped up Jason Roy for INR 2.8 crore. Desai has joined KKR for INR 20 lakh.

A left-handed batter, 20-year-old Desai made his first-class debut for Gujarat earlier this year. He has played three first-class matches, and in his second game struck an impressive 114-ball 88 against Vidarbha in an encounter in which only one other batter, across both sides, managed to pass fifty in the entire game. It is also the same clash in which Gujarat were infamously bowled out for 54 in their second innings, chasing 73.

This season, the Knight Riders are without the services of Shreyas Iyer, who’s out with a back injury, and Shakib Al Hasan, who has opted out due to personal reasons.