In a shocker of a news, Gujarat Titans' Jason Roy has decided to pull out of the glitzy Indian Premier Leaue (IPL) 2022 citing bio-bubble fatigue. The England star batter, who was roped in for a whopping Rs 2 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction, was the only specialist opener picked by the Gujarat-based franchise apart from Shubman Gill.
the Titans are yet to finalise a replacement for Roy, who cited bio-bubble fatigue as the reason, according to ESPNcricinfo. The Englishman was recently seen in action at the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 and was the leading run-scorer for the Quetta Gladiators – scoring 303 runs at an average o 50.5 with a strike-rate of 170.22 with one hundred and two fifties.
It must be noted that this is the second instance of Jason Roy pulling out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after getting a contract from the franchise. Earlier, in IPL 2020, Roy was purchased by Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.5 crore, however, the cricketer pulled out of the league.
Taking to Twitter, Roy shared a long note, explaining his major decision. Expressing gratitude towards management and team captain Hardik Pandya, Roy said continous cricket has taken a toll on him.
"Hi everyone, especially the Gujarat Titans fans and squad. It’s with a heavy heart I have decided to pull out of this years tournament. I want to thank the management and the captain Hardik for putting your faith in me and picking me in the auction. However with everything going on in the world over the last 3 years it’s added up and taken it’s toll on me,” read Roy’s post.
“I will be following each game of the Titans and backing them to lift the trophy in their first year of the tournament. Thank you everyone for the continued support and I hope you can all respect and appreciate my decision,” concluded the batter.
This is the second time Roy has decided to not to play the IPL after finding a team at the auction. If Roy were to be in the bubble throughout the IPL 2022, he would probably need to be away from his family, which includes his second child who was born in January, for more than two months, with the tournament set to begin on March 26 and end with the final on May 29.
The Titans would have been the fourth franchise Roy would have played for in the IPL, having earlier represented Gujarat Lions (2017), Delhi Daredevils (2018) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2021). He went unsold at the 2021 auction but was drafted in as a replacement for the Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. Roy has scored 329 runs in 13 IPL matches at an average of 29.90 and a strike rate of 129.01, including two half-centuries, which came in his respective team debuts for the Daredevils and the Sunrisers.
The fifteenth season of the IPL is scheduled to kickstart on 26th March and the tournament will run until May 29. As many as 74 matches will be held in between. Maharashtra is chosen as a lone state to host all the IPL matches, while for the playoffs, the top four teams are likely to head to Ahmedabad.
The tournament is scheduled to kickstart on 26th March and will be played across four venues in Maharashtra namely Wankede Stadium, Barabourne Stadium, DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai and Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
The Maharashtra Government has also announced that 25 per cent of the crowd will be allowed in the stadium which has come as a major relief to the Indian cricket loyalists.
Gujarat Titans (GT) Full Squad After IPL Auction 2022:
Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson , Abhinav Sadarangani , Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmed, Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Dominic Drakes, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Varun Aaron , B Sai Sudharshan.
Gujarat Titans' picks in IPL mega auction 2022:
Mohammed Shami – Rs. 6.25 Crore
Jason Roy – Rs 2 Crore
Lockie Ferguson – Rs 10 Crore
Abhinav Sadarangani – Rs 2.60 Crore
Rahul Tewatia – Rs 9 Crore
Noor Ahmad – Rs 30 Lakh
R Sai Kishore – Rs 3 Crore
Dominic Drakes- Rs 1.10 crore
Jayant Yadav- Rs 1.7 crore
Vijay Shankar- Rs 1.4 crore
Darshan Nalkande- Rs 20 lakh
Yash Dayal- Rs 3.20 crore
Alzarri Joseph- Rs 2.40 crore
Pradeep Sangwan- Rs 20 lakh
David Miller - Rs 3 crore
Wriddhiman Saha- Rs 1.90 crore
Matthew Wade- Rs 2.40 crore
Gurkeerat Singh- Rs 50 lakh
Varun Aaron- Rs 50 lakh
Sai Sudarshan- Rs 20 lakh
