IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders sign veteran West Indies star as Litton Das replacement

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced the signing of West Indies batter Johnson Charles as a replacement for Litton Das. Das had to leave the KKR camp due to a medical emergency in his family and has been called up by Bangladesh for the upcoming ODI series against Ireland starting on May 9. Charles joins KKR for a base price of INR 50 lakh to add stability to their struggling top order.

Charles is a seasoned player who was part of the West Indies team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016. After a six-year gap, he recently returned to international cricket in October 2022 and made a significant impact. In fact, he bagged the Player of the Series award during West Indies' recent T20I series win over South Africa away. Charles recorded his maiden T20I century in the second game on March 26, which was a remarkable achievement.

The 34-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, Charles, led Comilla Victorians to victory in the Bangladesh Premier League 2023 earlier this year. In the final against Sylhet Strikers, he smashed an unbeaten 79 off 52 balls, contributing to his overall score of 308 runs from just nine innings. 

With a strike rate of 130.72 in T20 cricket and over 5500 runs under his belt, Charles brings a wealth of experience to Kolkata Knight Riders' inconsistent top order.

Unfortunately, Kolkata Knight Riders are currently languishing in eighth place in the IPL 2023 points table, having only managed three wins from their opening nine games. The team's opening batsmen, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan, have failed to provide consistent starts, while Litton, who played just one game this season, scored a paltry four runs.

KKR will be facing Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 4th in an away game.

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