It was confirmed on Thursday that Roy would miss the upcoming T20 series against Pakistan due to a side strain he sustained in practice this week.
Roy will remain with the England set-up while he recovers, and will undergo rehabilitation ahead of the Australia white-ball series, which starts on September 4 in Southampton.
Though he will be shorn of one of his big hitters at the top of the order, Morgan is confident Roy – who made only 25 runs across three ODI innings in the recent series against Ireland – will return in time to face Australia.
"Unfortunately he tweaked his side two days ago, and will be ruled out for the three games in order to give him time to prepare for both series against Australia," Morgan told a news conference.
"At the moment we don't anticipate it being anything serious but we want to give him every chance to be fit for Australia, both series - T20s and 50 overs.
"So we'll see how he progresses over the next three or four days and be able to report back then."
Despite Roy's injury, England have not yet called up an official replacement, with Morgan feeling there is enough quality cover within the squad already.
"At the moment, given that we have a lot of flexibility, particularly with our allrounders in Joe Denly and Moeen Ali, and the reserve batters in the squad, at the moment we don't feel a need to pull anybody in for tomorrow," he added.
Liam Livingstone, Tom Banton and Dawid Malan appear to be the likely candidates to battle it out to take Roy's place.
"Dawid in particular has really put together an early establishment of a career that, every time he's available, he's put himself forward as the next man, simply by weight of runs and the rate at which he scores them," Morgan said.
"[Banton] naturally is a top-order batter, but at a time where we have top-order batters in abundance and actually lack middle-order players, it's sometimes difficult to get him in in the position that is his strength.
"We know what he can achieve at the top of the order, along with a number of other guys who bat in the top five. And so hopefully if he gets a chance he can take it."
The Indians retained their title in Dubai last year with a victory over Delhi Capitals, taking their record tally of IPL triumphs to a five.
Rohit Sharma's side will be the team to beat in a competition that will be played in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, having been staged overseas in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore look the most likely sides to prevent Mumbai from becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive IPL titles.
We pick out some of the things to look out for in what promises to be a mouthwatering extravaganza of cricket, which starts on Friday in a country that will stage the T20 World Cup later this year.
INDIANS PRIMED FOR THREE IN A ROW
The champions start the defence of their title with a blockbuster showdown against RCB in the first game of the tournament at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Mumbai will have to wait for Quinton de Kock's arrival as he is on duty with South Africa, so skipper Rohit will be expected to set the tone at the top of the order.
The India opener is the fourth-highest run-scorer in IPL history with 5,230 at an average of 31.31 and, although the 2020 edition was not one of his best, he struck a rapid 68 in the final. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav played significant hands with the bat in Mumbai's 2020 success.
Trent Boult was man of the match in that win over Delhi after taking 3-30 and the New Zealand seamer will have a big part to play with the ball along with Jasprit Bumrah.
STAND-IN SKIPPER PANT CAN LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Delhi's first IPL final proved to be painful in November, but they will fancy their chances of going one better under the captaincy of Rishabh Pant.
The addition of Steve Smith, who was released by Rajasthan Royals, is a major tonic, while Umesh Yadav and Sam Billings are among their other new recruits.
Kagiso Rabada was the leading wicket-taker in last year's tournament with 30 at 18.26 and Delhi will need him to fire again along with fellow Proteas quick Anrich Nortje.
Ravichandran Ashwin should be on a high from his Test exploits for India against England, while the in-form Pant can thrive as skipper with Shreyas Iyer ruled out due to a shoulder injury.
MORRIS UNDER PRESSURE TO JUSTIFY PRICE TAG
Chris Morris became the most expensive signing in IPL history when he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for 16.25crore (around £1.6million).
That staggering fee put the South Africa all-rounder ahead of Yuvraj Singh (16cr) as the biggest ever auction acquisition.
Morris was 20th on the list of the leading wicket-takers last year when featuring for RCB and only batted five times, with a top score of 25 not out.
ROY TO REUNITE WITH BAIRSTOW
England batsman Roy went unsold at auction but was drafted in by Sunrisers Hyderabad last week after Mitchell Marsh withdrew for personal reasons.
Sunrisers coach Trevor Bayliss was clearly excited by the prospect of Roy and Jonny Bairstow forming a pairing that has served England so well.
Roy may have to wait for his opportunity or Sunrisers could tinker with the order, as captain David Warner and Bairstow have formed a dangerous opening pairing.
With little margin for error as the Proteas battle to qualify for this year's World Cup in India, Rassie van der Dussen made a brilliant 111 and David Miller 53 as the hosts posted 298-7 at Mangaung Oval on Friday.
Jofra Archer (1-81) was expensive on his long-awaited international return in Bloemfontein, where Sam Curran (3-35) was the pick of the England bowlers.
Roy struck a sublime 113 from 91 balls, combining with Dawid Malan (59) for an opening stand of 146, but the world champions collapsed to 271 all out to go 1-0 down.
Paceman Nortje claimed 4-62, while Sisanda Magala (3-46) and Kagiso Rabada (2-46) also played a big hand as the tourists capitulated and South Africa made a great start to the three-match series with so much at stake.
Captain Temba Bavuma (36 off 28 balls) and Quinton De Kock (37 off 41) put on 61 for the first wicket before both were both sent packing by Curran.
Van der Dussen and Miller added 110 for the fifth wicket, the number three pacing his knock superbly, with Archer given the treatment in his first England match for almost two years.
It had looked like being a procession for England when South Africa-born Roy and Malan got them off to a flyer, only for the latter to strike a Magala bouncer high in the air for Bavuma to take.
Magala also removed ODI debutant Harry Brook after Nortje saw the back of Ben Duckett, but Roy raced to his hundred in only 79 balls as the boundaries flowed.
England were 196-4 in the 30th over when Rabada dismissed Roy and Jos Buttler kept them ticking along with a patient 36, but they crumbled after Nortje had the skipper caught behind in a brilliant spell.
Tabraiz Shamsi sealed a stunning win by getting Olly Stone caught and bowled in the 45th over.
Roy returns to form in spectacular fashion
Opener Roy was left out of England's T20 World Cup-winning squad last year, but he showed what he is capable with a powerful knock that included 11 fours and four sixes.
He has now passed the 4,000-run milestone for England in ODIs with 4,106 in total. Among England batters, only Joe Root (91 innings) reached that mark in quicker time than Roy's 105 innings.
Rapid Nortje burst decisive
Van der Dussen was outstanding with the bat as he ensured South Africa posted an imposing total, but it did not look like being enough as England appeared to be cruising to victory.
That was until the rapid Nortje came to the fore with a brilliant spell, taking 3-14 in four overs to turn the tide and rock England. Buttler, David Willey and Archer – out for a duck on his return – all fell to the fired-up fast bowler, who totally changed the game.
Root has not played for his country in the shortest format since May 2019 and has been overlooked for the three-match T20 series, which starts at the Rose Bowl on Friday.
The Test captain has made an impressive start to the T20 Blast back in Yorkshire colours, having stated he has not given up on forcing his way back into squad for the T20 World Cup in India next year, but said he was realistic over his chances.
Root has been named in a 13-man squad for the ODI series, which follows the T20s, versus Aaron Finch's side at Old Trafford.
Roy will sit out the T20s due to a left side strain that has kept him out of the ongoing series against Pakistan, but will remain in the bio-secure bubble with a view to showing he can feature in the 50-over format.
Test players Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Mark Wood are back in both squads, while Chris Woakes is set to play in the ODI series.
Ben Stokes remains absent after flying to New Zealand to be with his family, as his father Ged has brain cancer. Fellow all-rounder David Willey was overlooked for both squads despite being man of the series in the ODIs against Ireland.
National selector Ed Smith, said: "These two series against Australia provide an exciting end to the summer. We have selected strong squads.
"We are also continuing to develop depth in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cups."
England T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Reserves: Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood.
England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Reserves: Joe Denly, Saqib Mahmood.
Opener Roy was dropped from the white-ball squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup following a poor run of form.
However, the 32-year-old will return against Australia in November after being named in England's 15-man squad for the series, with Alex Hales being left out.
Batter Vince, whose most recent ODI came in July 2021, has also been included, as have wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings and fast bowler Olly Stone.
Harry Brook, Mark Wood, Liam Livingstone and Tymal Mills join Hales in dropping out, while Ben Stokes has retired from the 50-over game.
England's first match with Australia follows on from the T20 World Cup on November 17 in Adelaide, followed by matches in Sydney and Melbourne over the following five days.
As was the case in the host's series-levelling victory at Headingley on Sunday, sweltering conditions and a dry surface played into the hands of the spinners, with Adil Rashid (4-35) again the England attack.
Moeen Ali returned a miserly 1-19 from his four overs as the England seamers went wicketless and Mohammad Rizwan carried his bat for a 57-ball 76 within 154-6.
Jason Roy went six, four and out in Leeds but produced something more substantial here, with 12 fours and a six before perishing on the slog sweep at Usman Qadir for 64 off 36 deliveries.
Jos Buttler (21) and Jonny Bairstow (five) also skewed slow bowling skywards and Eoin Morgan (21) joined an out-of-sorts Dawid Malan with the score 112-4 after 15 overs, Moeen having been cleaned up by Mohammad Hafeez (3-28).
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam went back to pace in a pivotal 18th over and Morgan flogged him for a pair of sixes, although Hasan Ali had the last laugh, having the England captain caught at mid-on with four balls remaining.
Malan's dogged 31 had been ended by Hafeez and Liam Livingstone had gone six and out by that stage, meaning a pair of scampered twos from all-rounder Chris Jordan were required to finish the job.
Surrey batsman Roy was one of the stars of England's Cricket World Cup triumph on home soil, with a blistering semi-final 85 against Australia one of four fifties alongside a century in a competition he concluded with an average of 63.28.
Despite his lack of experience at the top of the order in red-ball cricket, those performances increased the clamour for Roy to open in the Ashes that followed in a congested English summer.
Faced with Australia's imposing pace attack, the 29-year-old endured an ordeal that was halted after a drop down to number four in the fourth Test defeat at Old Trafford failed to bring about a significant change in fortunes.
"I've worked very hard to try and crack Test cricket and for it to get taken away from me that quickly was heartbreaking," Roy told reporters, with his average of 13.75 against Australia meaning he was omitted from England's restorative victory in South Africa and the subsequently aborted trip to Sri Lanka.
"I'm going to be trying my hardest to get back into the side and prove myself. Scoring a weight of runs in white-ball cricket and then not being able to do that in Test cricket was upsetting, because I really felt like I could. I still feel like I can.
"Everyone wants to be a Test cricketer. I’ve been selected but I want to succeed."
Roy conceded the emotional swing from his World Cup high was a tough one to handle.
"The Ashes series was a very tough time," he added. "It was absolutely ridiculous — I've never felt so high and so low in such a short period.
"It brings back some strange emotions now even thinking back to it, but it is part of being a professional sportsman. You’ve got to overcome these sorts of bumps."
RCB looked like they might be able to chase down their target of 201 after Virat Kohli (54) threatened to outdo Roy, but once wickets started to fall the hosts ran out of steam quickly.
Roy brought up his 50 from just 22 balls, while Narayan Jagadeesan (27) played a supporting role, but the latter became the first wicket to fall as he tried to hit Vijaykumar Vyshak for six, instead finding David Willey for a simple catch on the boundary.
Vyshak (2-41) then clattered the leg stump of Roy in the same over to give RCB another boost as they looked to get back in to the game.
Captain Nitish Rana (48 from 21 balls) was dropped twice and made RCB pay as he blitzed some boundaries, before finally being caught well by Vyshak off the bowling of Wanindu Hasaranga (2-24).
Venkatesh Iyer (31) was also gone just two balls later after hitting one straight up in the air for Glenn Maxwell to take, while Mohammed Siraj bowled Andre Russell for just one in the penultimate over.
Rinku Singh (18 not out) and David Wiese (12no) added some welcome late boundaries to the end of the innings and set a target just beyond 200, but the reply started well for RCB.
Kohli and Faf Du Plessis (17) hit 30 from the first two overs, though the South African was out in the third as he hit Suyash Sharma to Rinku at long-on.
Suyash (2-30) had another soon after when he trapped Shahbaz Ahmed (2) lbw, and Maxwell (5) was not far behind as he hit a soft shot off Varun Chakravarthy straight to Wiese.
Mahipal Lomror was nicely dovetailing with Kohli as he knocked 34 from 18 balls before finding Russell's safe hands on the boundary as he tried to slog Chakravarthy (3-27).
Hope seemed to be over for the hosts when Kohli hit Russell to deep mid-wicket, only for Venkatesh to take the catch, while Suyash Prabhudessai (10) was run out and Hasaranga added just five before departing.
Once Dinesh Karthik has fallen to Chakravarthy for 22, the writing was on the wall as the Knight Riders clinched just their third win of the season.
Roy wracks up runs
England batter Roy struck 56 to bring up his fourth 50+ score in the IPL; and has now scored 160 runs so far in this, his fourth season, his highest of any prior IPL campaign.
Roy hit four fours and five sixes on Wednesday, with no other batter on either team hitting as many maximums.
Kohli notches another 50
The RCB captain was not quite as explosive as Roy, taking 37 balls to make his 54 and not hitting any sixes (six fours), but Kohli still set the table for what could have been a decent stab at reaching 201 for his team, though it fizzled out fairly rapidly.
This was his fifth 50+ score of the season, the joint-most of any batter (with team-mate Du Plessis), while it was his 54th 50+ score in the competition's history, second to only David Warner (63).
Roy hit 44 as the Sunrisers, who sit bottom of the table with their play-off hopes already over, earned only their third win of a torrid Indian Premier League season at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Already assured of a play-off berth, RCB were aiming for a fourth successive victory that would strengthen their hopes of finishing in the top two.
Virat Kohli's side were set a target of 142 and headed into the final over needing 13, following knocks of 41 and 40 from Devdutt Padikkal and Glenn Maxwell respectively.
AB de Villiers, who finished on 19 not out, edged RCB closer to the total with a huge six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's fourth ball of the final over to leave six required from the last two deliveries.
However, Kumar showed all of his experience to wrap up the victory, conceding just one run off his final two balls, as RCB fell narrowly short on 137-6.
Joy for Roy
The England opener made a top-scoring contribution for the Sunrisers, with a knock of 44 from 38 balls.
He and skipper Kane Williamson hit combined in a 70-run partnership in 9.4 overs to provide the platform for their side to build upon.
History for Patel
Despite the defeat, it was a historic day for Harshal Patel, who set a new record of most wickets by an Indian bowler in an IPL season as he surpassed Jasprit Bumrah's tally from the previous season (27).
The right-arm bowler claimed an impressive 3-33 as he dismissed Williamson, Wriddhiman Saha and Jason Holder.
That took Patel's tally in this season's IPL to 29; seven clear of nearest challenger Avesh Khan, who has impressed for the Delhi Capitals this term.
The England opener has signed up on a deal worth approximately INR 2.8 crore (£275,000), up on his pre-season auction price of INR 1.5 crore (£147,000).
Roy's return to the IPL comes amid a minor player crisis for KKR, who have lost India's Iyer to a back injury, as well as Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
Though English players are typically not allowed to sign after the start of March, those on ECB contracts are an exemption to the rule, allowing his move.
The Surrey batter last played in 2021, scoring 150 runs in five games for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and will hope to maintain his strong white-ball start to 2023.
With 245 runs in seven games for Quetta Gladiators during the Pakistan Super League, Roy also posted the tournament's highest individual tally, with 145 not out.
A member of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup, he was dropped from their 2022 T20 World Cup-winning squad.
Ahead of his side's 50-over defence in India later this year, the 32-year-old will be hopeful he can use his time with KKR to consolidate his spot in the squad.
Roy's return to the IPL may come too soon to feature in his new team's next match, which is against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday.
However, he could be included for their trip to face defending champions Gujarat Titans on Sunday, as KKR look to bounce back from an opening loss against Punjab Kings.
With captains Pat Cummins and Jos Buttler both resting in Sydney, the hosts set England a target of 281 after Smith hit 94 from 114 deliveries.
Despite a strong effort in particular from James Vince and Sam Billings, England's reply petered out as Starc and Zampa claimed four wickets apiece.
After a steady start on a dry pitch, Australia lost both David Warner (16) and Travis Head (19) inside the first nine overs, before Smith and Marnus Labuschagne stepped in.
The duo put on a partnership of 101 before the latter fell to Adil Rashid (3-57) for 58, with Alex Carey out next ball as England looked to keep their opponents from accelerating away.
Smith and Mitchell Marsh (50) put on another 90 together before Smith was finally out hitting a deep shot straight to Phil Salt, while Marsh and Starc fell to David Willey in the penultimate over as Australia ended on 280-8.
Starc removed both Jason Roy and Dawid Malan in the first over of the chase before the tourists could get any runs on the board, and a brief flurry from Salt (23) came to an end when he stepped away for a big shot, only to see his stumps clattered by Josh Hazlewood.
Vince (60) and Billings (71) steadied the ship as they put on a partnership of 122 until Hazelwood trapped Vince lbw.
Moeen Ali came in and hit a four and six from his first three balls before Zampa bowled him with the fourth, and also removed danger man Billings and Sam Curran (0) in his next over to wrestle the momentum back for Australia.
England's inability to protect their stumps continued as Starc (4-47) bowled Chris Woakes, before Willey (6) dragged a delivery on just moments after nearly kicking his own stumps in a panic as the ball bounced over them.
Zampa (4-45) mopped things up when he trapped Liam Dawson lbw for 20 as Australia dismissed England for 208 to take an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Starc contrast in bowling attacks
While England had their moments with the ball, especially when it was in Rashid's hands, the ruthlessness with which Starc dismissed batsmen almost made it look like a different pitch.
Zampa was equally impressive with his spin, taking key wickets in important moments, and was also the most economical of the Australian bowlers at just 4.57.
Roy fails again with the bat
Roy had been hoping to make a point after being overlooked for Alex Hales in England's successful T20 World Cup campaign, but after scoring just six in the first ODI, he was out for a second-ball duck here.
Having also lost the first game of the series by six wickets, this was England's first instance of back-to-back defeats in away ODIs since January 2017.
Captain Sanju Samson made 82 for the Royals, yet their total of 164-5 was no problem for a Sunrisers team out who saw Jason Roy star at the top of the order.
The England batsman – selected ahead of the out-of-sorts David Warner – made 60 from 42 deliveries on his debut for the franchise, in the process giving their run chase a solid start.
Kane Williamson made sure there were few alarms with an unbeaten half-century, the Sunrisers captain helping reach the victory target with nine balls to spare.
Abhishek Sharma ended up on 21 not out as the Royals missed out on doing the double over their opponents for the first time in the round-robin stage of an IPL season.
Sunrisers avoid unwanted record
Despite the impressive triumph, Hyderabad remain bottom of the table. Still, they at least avoided losing six in a row for the first time ever in the competition's history.
Roy certainly made the most of his opportunity, hitting a solitary six and eight fours. While both he and Priyam Garg, out for a first-ball duck, fell in quick succession, Williamson's unbeaten 51 saw the Sunrisers coast home.
Samson strong again as he reaches milestone
Samson sure likes playing the Sunrisers. His 57-ball knock saw him become the highest scorer against them, while he also moved past 3,000 IPL runs in his career.
Yashasvi Jaiswal made 36 and Mahipal Lomror contributed an unbeaten 29 with the bat for Rajasthan, though a second successive defeat damages their hopes of making the play-offs.
Jason Roy starred as he plundered 61 from 38 balls, helping his team ease to the 125-run target set by their opponents for victory with almost six overs remaining.
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat first. They got off to a promising start, putting 10 runs on the board in the first over, with Liton Das hitting Moeen Ali for two boundaries.
However, things soon turned as Moeen (2-18) took two wickets in two balls in the third over, and from there the runs dried up as the wickets steadily fell.
Chris Woakes (1-12) and Liam Livingstone (2-15) impressed with the ball, and the only moment that resembled a fightback from Bangladesh was in the 19th over when Adil Rashid (0-35) was hit for 17, including the only two sixes of the innings from Nasum Ahmed (19).
A solid final over with the ball from Tymal Mills (3-27) saw just four runs scored, with two wickets coming in the final two balls of the innings to leave Bangladesh on 124-9 from their 20 overs, a total England comfortably reached.
Roy sets tone for England reply
Roy smashed the first ball of the innings for four and Jos Buttler hit 18 from 18 balls before falling to Nasum (1-26).
Dawid Malan (28 not out) continued the England momentum but it was five fours and three sixes from Roy in exactly an hour at the crease which did most of the heavy lifting for England.
The opener was out before the end when he hit a Shoriful Islam (1-26) ball into the hands of Nasum, allowing Jonny Bairstow (eight not out) to see his team home with 35 balls still remaining, giving Eoin Morgan's side their second win in as many games in the tournament.
Moeen makes swift progress
Bangladesh had not had a display of Roy's ilk in their own top order thanks to the exploits of Moeen with the ball. Quickly recovering from a potentially damaging first over, the spinner mopped up Das and Mohammad Naim from consecutive balls to reduce Bangladesh to 14-2.
Those were Moeen's third and fourth power play wickets at this World Cup, only trailing Maheesh Theekshana (five) in that regard. Despite the initial wobble, he has also managed an economy rate of 5.5 and a dot ball rate of 64 per cent in this period.
Roy sustained the problem in England's defeat to South Africa in their final Super 12s match in Sharjah on Saturday.
The batsman had to be helped off the pitch by England's medical staff and further assessments have confirmed he will not be fit to feature against the Black Caps on Wednesday, or in Sunday's final should Eoin Morgan's side progress.
A disappointed Roy will stay with the squad and hopes to be fit for England's T20 tour of the West Indies in January.
"I'm gutted to be ruled out of the World Cup. It is a bitter pill to swallow," Roy said in a statement released on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) website.
"I will be staying on to support the boys, and hopefully, we can go all the way and lift that trophy. It has been an unbelievable journey so far, and we have to continue expressing ourselves and concentrating on us.
"The rehab has already started, and even though I've torn my calf, I'm going to give myself the best chance of being ready for the T20 tour of the Caribbean at the start of next year."
Roy's form has been indifferent at the tournament. He recorded an impressive 61 against Bangladesh on October 27, though his next-highest score was 22, against Australia.
James Vince has been selected as his replacement.
A calf injury sustained by Roy in Saturday's thrilling clash with South Africa has put his hopes of featuring again at the tournament in doubt.
He retired hurt for 20 early in England's innings as Morgan's side made sure of a semi-final place, despite losing by 10 runs to the Proteas in Sharjah.
South Africa headed out of the tournament, due to their net run rate falling short of that of England and Australia, despite all three sides finishing Group 1 with four wins and one loss.
Roy had not been at his explosive best in the tournament, and England are confident they have players who can come in and prove able deputies.
"We've dealt with a lot of injuries in this tournament and pre-tournament – [Ben] Stokes, [Sam] Curran, [Jofra] Archer are not here, Tymal [Mills] goes down," Morgan said.
"Possibly Jason will be assessed tomorrow. We have a lot of talent coming in, so that gives us a huge amount of confidence.
"In the last couple of years, having built a core group of white-ball players, it allows us to delve into that depth and really explore it."
England paceman Mark Wood said on Sky Sports: "I'm disappointed for J-Roy. I'm sure from the pictures, you saw how disappointed he is.
"He's pretty disappointed in the dressing room now, upset. He's a big character and a brilliant player for us.
"We've got plenty of good players and good depth, so someone will have to step up, but it's really sad for him.
"We've got [Jonny] Bairstow who opens in the 50 overs; James Vince is a reserve, so he could maybe come in and open the batting; and [Liam] Livingstone opens for Lancashire, so we've got plenty of options."
They have 15 confirmed players for the 2024 season and will have two emerging player spots to fill at the draft in July.
The Knight Riders have signed Australian batter Tim David for the 2024 season. David has had success in the CPL in the past with the Saint Lucia Kings.
They have also secured the services of experienced and explosive England international Jason Roy who is set for his first taste of the CPL.
Roy is one of the world’s most travelled T20 players boasting stats of 9244 runs in 360 matches including six hundreds and 60 fifties at a strike rate of 141.60.
USA international Ali Khan and Afghan spinner Waqar Salamkheil will return to the franchise for the 2024 season. The Knight Riders have also signed Ireland left arm seamer Josh Little who recently became the first Irish man to play in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans.
The Knight Riders have retained the core of Caribbean players that took them to the final at the 2023 tournament with Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Nicholas Pooran all back with the Trinidad franchise.
The full list of retained and signed players for the Knight Riders are as follows: Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Keacy Carty, Tim David, Josh Little, Terrence Hinds, Mark Deyal, Jason Roy, Dwayne Bravo, Waqar Salamkheil, Jayden Seales.
