Explosive English batter Jason Roy has pulled out of the upcoming 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying prolonged stay in coronavirus bubbles over the last three years have “taken its toll” on him.
Roy, who was signed by the Gujarat Titans at his base price of Rs 2 crore, said he wanted to “spend some quality time” with his family as well as work on improving his game over the next couple of months.
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“It’s with a heavy heart that 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,” Roy said in a statement on Instagram.
“I will be following each and every game of the Titans and backing them to lift the trophy in their first year of the tournament,” Roy added.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, Roy informed Titans of his decision to withdraw from the tournament last week. The newly-inducted franchise are yet to name a replacement for the Englishaman.
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Meanwhile, Roy had a great tournament at the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL). Despite being restricted to just six games, Roy finished as the top-scorer for the Quetta Gladiators with 303 runs, including two fifties and a hundred.
With an average of 50.50, Roy finished as one of the top batters in the tournament, but could not help the Gladiators to a better finished than fifth in the six-team league.
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This is the second time in three seasons that Roy has opted out of the IPL, after citing personal reasons to withdraw from IPL 2020.
IPL 2022 will include 10 teams – with the Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants the two new franchises inducted into the league. Matches will be played in Mumbai and Pune through the group stage.
