Gujarat Titans, a new Indian Premier League (IPL) team, have suffered a setback ahead of the upcoming season, as England opener Jason Roy has withdrawn from the tournament “citing the challenge of staying in the tournament bubble for an extended period.”
The 31-year-old cricketer, who was signed by the Titans for his base price of Rs two crore at the IPL mega auction barely a fortnight ago, informed the franchise of his decision to quit last week, according to a report.
The report said that the Gujarat Titans are yet to finalise a replacement. Roy had played for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2021.
The report said that Roy, who played in the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) emerging as one of the top run-getters in the tournament for Quetta Gladiators, reportedly took the decision due a longer IPL season this time around.
The England cricketer’s withdrawal from the IPL would be a blow to the franchise, as he was in superb form in the PSL, where he scored 303 runs at an average of 50.50 and a strike rate of 170.22 in just six games for the Gladiators. The Gladiators finished fifth in the six-team league, despite Roy’s two half-centuries and a century.
This year’s IPL league phase will take place in Mumbai and Pune and the teams will once again be confined to bio-bubbles throughout the duration of the tournament, which will run from March 26 till May 29.