Phil Salt has been signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement player for Jason Roy, who has opted out of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) for personal reasons.

The wicketkeeper-batter has been bought for INR 1.5 crore (roughly £141,000) after going unsold at last December’s auction. Salt’s snub was a surprise, given both his success in his maiden IPL campaign in 2023, and his form for England at the time.

The attacking opener averaged 27 and struck at 164 for Delhi Capitals last season before being released, and the IPL auction came days after he had hit his maiden T20I century for England in West Indies. He also hit a hundred in his first innings following the auction, and called his omission “confusing”.

“It was a confusing morning,” Salt said. “I expected to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well and after the year that I’ve had, but these things happen. It’s part of the lottery of an auction, it happens in draft processes as well. There’s a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I’m over the moon for them. I was a bit confused but it can happen. There’s no bad cricketers on the list at the IPL. It’s one of those things.”

🚨Phil Salt replaces Jason Roy in KKR for IPL2024.

Another RCB Basher💉pic.twitter.com/UX34wb0KwM

— कट्टर KKR समर्थक 🦁🇮🇳 ™ (@KKRWeRule) March 10, 2024

Roy’s absence will be a blow for KKR, given his good form last season, with an average above 35 and a strike rate above 150. That aside, the 33-year-old has had a tough two years, and has been dropped by England in both white-ball formats.

Salt faces stiff competition for an overseas spot in the XI. Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are all expected to start the competition, while Afghanistan’s opener-keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz is a direct competitor for a place in the side.

KKR are looking to overturn a poor recent run of form, having made the IPL playoffs just once in the last five seasons. Before that, they had progressed from six out of eight group stages, winning the title twice in that time.