Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed West Indies batter Johnson Charles as a replacement for Litton Das on Thursday, May 4. Bangladeshi wicketkeeper batter has already left KKR's camp due to a medical emergency in his family. Litton 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 was part of West Indies team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016. Charles recently returned to international cricket in October 2022 after an extensive gap of six years. He bagged the Player of the Series award during West Indies' recent T20I series win over South Africa away as he recorded his maiden T20I century in the second game on March 26.
The 34-year-old wicketkeeper batter also guided Comilla Victorians to Bangladesh Premier League 2023 glory in February this year. He smashed 79* off 52 against Sylhet Strikers in the final and scored overall 308 runs from just nine innings. Charles has scored over 5500 runs at a strike rate of 130.72 in T20 cricket and adds a quality experience to KKR's inconsistent top order.
Kolkata Knight Riders are currently placed at the eighth position in the Indian Premier League 2023 points table with just three wins from the opening nine games. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan have failed to provide consistent starts while opening an innings while Litton scored just four runs in the only game he played this season.
Jason Roy, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine occupy overseas slots so Charles is likely to compete with Gurbaz for the opener spot. He may not get enough games to make an impact as Gurbaz smashed 81 off 39 against Gujarat Titans in KKR's last game and will keep Charles on the bench for the next few games. KKR next face Sunrisers Hyderabad away on May 4.
