Jason Roy pulls out of IPL 2022

England's firing top order batter Jason Roy on Tuesday pulled out of the Indian Premier League citing extended stay in the tournament bubble, dealing a blow to his new franchise Gujarat Titans weeks before the event gets going.

The 31-year-old English cricketer was signed by Gujarat Titans for his base price of Rs 2 crore at the mega auction.

"It's with heavy heart I have decided to pull out of this year's tournament. I want to thank the management and the captain Hardik for putting your faith in me and picking me in the auction, " Roy wrote on his Twitter handle on Tuesday.

"However, with everything going on in the world over the last three years it's added up and taken its toll on me. I feel it's only right I spend some quality time with my family.

"As well as spending time working on myself and my game over the next couple of months leading into a very busy year. I will be following each game of the Titans and backing them to lift the trophy in their first year of the tournament.

The development is a big blow to the Gujarat franchise as Roy was the only specialist opener picked by them apart from young Subhman Gill.

This is the second time the English player is pulling out of the Indian Premier League. He had earlier withdrawn from the 2020 edition due to personal reasons after being picked up by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.5 Crore.

Last season, Roy had represented Sunrisers Hyderabad and played a decent knock before carrying his form to the Pakistan Super League this year, where he turned out for the Quetta Qladiators.

The Pakistan Super League too was played in a bio-secure bubble.

He played only six matches for the franchise and still ended up as their highest run scorer with 303 runs at an average of 50.50 and strike rate of 170.22. Notably, Roy was blessed with his second child in January.

If Roy were to be in the bubble throughout the IPL, 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.

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 Several players have withdrawn from the IPL in the past, both before the start of seasons as well as during the tournament, citing a need to keep themselves fit, especially mentally, for marquee bilateral series and World Cups. As it happens, the T20 World Cup will be played in Australia in October-November 2022.

The 15th edition of Indian Premier League is scheduled to begin on March 26 and will conclude on May 29. The Indian Premier League 2022 will be a ten team event and will take place in Mumbai and Pune. This will be the grand festival of Twenty Twenty international cricket.

Jason Roy pulls out of IPL 2022 - Why?