England batter Phil Salt has recently joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement for Jason Roy, who pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 due to personal reasons. Kolkata-based franchise has signed Salt for Rs. 1.50 crore.
The much-anticipated IPL 2024 is all set to begin on March 22 and KKR will face SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 23 in their opening match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
27-year-old attacking batter Salt represented Delhi Capitals (DC) and was initially left unsold during the mini-auction 2024 in Dubai.
In an interview, he opened up on his initial snub in the IPL auction despite two hundreds against West Indies just after the ODI World Cup 2023.
"I imagine that's the sort of thing that could really consume you. But I just chose to pay it no mind. It is not like I am short of somewhere for a game of cricket," Phil told Wisden in an interview as reported by ANI.
Phil expressed gratitude after receiving a warm welcome from fans on joining the KKR ahead of IPL 2024.
"Feels good. I'm here on quite a short notice but the reception I've got from everyone has been exceptional. Also to come here to train at such an iconic venue like the Eden Gardens and be a part of such a successful franchise is exciting," he added.
"I'm really excited. It's actually the first time I've been here (Eden Gardens) and it looks brilliant and I'm sure it's going to be pretty loud and crazy once the fans fill up on the matchday and I'm really looking forward to it," he said while speaking to KKR's official website.
He belted 218 runs in nine matches in the 2023 IPL season with an average of just above 29 and a strike rate of 163.91. His top score was 87.
Shreyas Iyer will lead KKR in the upcoming IPL season. He was appointed as the captain of the franchise last year.
Talking about the KKR track record, they lifted the IPL trophy twice in 2014 and 2012 and ended as runners-up in 2021.
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