Kolkata sign England's Roy to fill Iyer and Shakib void

Kolkata captain Iyer has been ruled out of entire IPL with a lower back injury which would require surgery and keep him out of the World Test Championship final against Australia in June as well.

All-rounder Shakib, currently leading Bangladesh in a one-off test against Ireland in Mirpur, has also conveyed his unavailability citing national team commitments.

Kolkata spent $341,671 to buy Roy, who played the 2021 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the IPL organisers said in a statement.

Playing for Quetta Gladiators, Roy smashed an unbeaten 145 off 63 balls in a Pakistan Super League match against Peshawar Zalmi last month.

IPL champions Gujarat Titans have signed Sri Lanka's white-ball captain Dasun Shanaka to replace New Zealander Kane Williamson, who returned home after a knee injury ended his campaign.