Dashing England opener Jason Roy has pulled out of IPL 2022 citing the challenge of staying in the tournament bubble for an extended period. Roy was roped in by CVC-owned Gujarat Titans at his base price of INR 2 crore.
As per reports in the ESPNCricinfo, the said cricketer has already intimated about his unavailability to the franchise last week. This is the second time Jason Roy has decided to not to play the IPL after finding a team at the auction. In IPL 2020, Delhi Capitals picked up Roy for his then base price of INR 1.5 crore, but he opted out for personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Jason Roy was in superlative form in PSL 2022, which was also played inside a bio-bubble. He was among the highest run-scorers despite playing only six matches. The 31-year-old batsman scored 303 runs at an average of 50.50 and a strike rate of 170.22, scoring two fifties and a hundred.
The Englishman 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 allrounder Mitchell Marsh. Overall, 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.
Jason Roy is not the first player to pull out of the IPL citing bubble fatigue during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has put severe restrictions on movement in the last two years. Several players have withdrawn from the IPL in the past, both before the start of seasons as well as during the tournament.
IPL 2022 will be played in four stadiums in Maharashtra between March 26 to May 29.
