In a bid to end their trophy-less drought since 2014, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made a lackluster start to the IPL 2023 season. The Kolkata-based franchise has won three out of their eight matches in the IPL 2023 so far and failed to click as a unit. In these testing times, the likes of captain Nitish Rana and their latest recruitment Jason Roy, have come to the fore and proved their worth.
Roy, roped in as a replacement for Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan, continued on his purple patch to hit 56 runs off 29 deliveries, while Rana played a quick-fire knock of 48 runs off 21 balls to guide KKR to 200/5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday. The duo were the top two scorers for KKR after putting into bat and enabled the visitors to reach a challenging total at the high-scoring M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. In response, KKR restricted RCB to 179/8 in the stipulated overs to register a 21-run win and unbeaten at the venue since 2016.
Comparatively, Roy has more experience than Rana in the shortest format and regarded as one of the best T20 openers. However, Rana’s stakes have increased over the years at KKR. He has been a part of the franchise since 2018. Roy was roped in for INR. 2.8 crores by the franchise in the middle of the IPL 2023 season, and he is turning out to be a value for money while Rana fetches a retention fee of INR. 8 crore but has the toughest job of a captain in the dressing room, which still needs some proving. He is, however, backed by the experienced mind of KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit.
Roy hit five sixes in his match-winning knock, while Rana cleared the rope four times. The England opener fetches a match fee of INR. 20,00,000 while the 29-year-old makes INR. 57,14,285 per match. The sum total of Roy’s five sixes in the match against RCB is INR. 4,00,000, while that of Rana’s four sixes in INR. 14,28,571. The basic difference between Roy and Rana’s per-match fee is INR. 37,14,285.
The comparison makes it clear that Rana’s worth is approximately 3x higher than Roy’s in the ongoing season. The KKR captain is currently the third-highest run-scorer in the franchise, amassing 229 runs at an average of 28.63. On the other hand, Roy has made light work of the bowlers and proven himself with the fine knocks of 61 and 43 in his last two matches. That being said, Roy can potentially be retained as a core member of the franchise, and his stakes can increase in the upcoming seasons of the lucrative tournament.
