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Delhi Capitals (DC) star opener Jason Roy pulled himself out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, on Thursday. The franchise bought the right-handed batsman at his base price of Rs 1.5 crore in IPL 2020 auction.
Roy had first joined Delhi in IPL 2018, where he scored 120 runs in five matches. He is best remembered for his heroics against Mumbai Indians that year, where he scored unbeaten 91 off 53 in the chase to a target of 195. Roy did not enter IPL 2019 auction to prepare for World Cup.
Roy isn’t the first England cricketer to pull out of IPL 2020. In March, all-rounder Chris Woakes had also withdrawn his name from the squad. South African pacer Anrich Nortje has replaced him.
Not just players, DC will also be without bowling coach, James Hopes. The franchise has roped in veteran seamer Ryan Harris as his replacement.
The Capitals has now confirmed that Australia’s left-arm quick Daniel Sams will replace Roy in the squad.
Reason why Roy pulled out of IPL 2020
The England opener cited injuries – a side strain this week ruling him out of three T20s against Pakistan – and the frantic IPL schedule, as the primary reason for sitting out of the IPL.
“I can spend the next couple of months looking after myself and getting back to where I should be cricket-wise,” he was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz.
“During Covid and the lockdown, my running was good and cycling and all the stuff that ticks you over and makes you feel good but then you come to the specifics and you are a little bit behind because you don’t have the opportunity to net. So, I just think it is a nice opportunity to do that and looking at the schedule over there it’s pretty hectic, so it’ll be a nice opportunity to get fit and raring to go again.”
Roy, a world champion last July with England’s ODI team, also expressed his frustration at breaking down inside the bio-secure bubble in Manchester before the T20I series against Pakistan.
“It was a weird one,” he said. “I thought I’d go and do some range hitting to see where I was at and hit a couple and I was like ‘sweet, I haven’t forgotten how to hit a ball’ and then I put a lot of effort into a couple and kind of felt it; it was a bit awkward. And then I just pulled out straight away, left it for a day, and was like ‘nah, something has happened.'”
Roy, however, hopes to be fit again for the limited-overs series against Australia beginning from September 4. He will be staying in the bubble rather than returning home in an effort to speed up his recovery.
