England national cricket team star and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) top-order batsman Jason Roy has opened up about his decision to withdraw from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Roy once again failed to fulfill his commitments in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as it was announced on March 10 that the English top-order batsman was withdrawing from the 17th edition of the competition.
Previously, Jason Roy had withdrawn from IPL 2020 when he was with Delhi Capitals (DC) and from IPL 2022 when he was a part of Gujarat Titans (G.T.). In 2020 he retired for personal reasons while in 2022 he took an “indefinite break” from the game.
This time, he pulled out of the IPL due to personal reasons while he is currently in action in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024. To cope with his absence, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) turned their attention to another England name as which roped in top-order batsman Phil Salt.
Salt has been sensational with the bat in recent months and his performances have helped him rise to the No. 2 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings. He went unsold in IPL 2024 despite an impressive season with Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2023 and was bought by KKR at his reserve price of INR 1.5 crore.
Notably, fans did not go easy on Roy for skipping the Indian Premier League (IPL) while he was currently active in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for Quetta Gladiators and criticized him on social media.
I need to get back to my family: Jason Roy on his withdrawal from IPL 2024
In an official statement issued by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday, March 11, Jason Roy said that he was forced to make the difficult decision to miss the IPL to spend time with his family. Roy highlighted how he has been on tour since January and said that he will support the Knights Riders in the 2024 Indian Premier League.
“After much consideration, I have made the difficult decision to miss this year’s IPL. Having been away since early January, I need to get back to my family and refresh before a very busy year ahead. I will support my friends and KKR teammates throughout the tournament and wish them the best of luck,” Jason Roy was quoted as saying by KKR.
We will miss you Jason. But we understand it 💜 pic.twitter.com/wrAdafC08G
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 11, 2024
Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign against Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 23. The match between the teams will take place at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made a big addition to their coaching staff ahead of IPL 2024 as they roped in two-time IPL winning captain Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the franchise.
Notably, Kolkata Knight Riders last won an IPL trophy under Gautam Gambhir in 2014 by defeating the Punjab-based franchise in the final and will hope to end their title drought when they enter the Indian Premier League 2024 under the leadership. by Iyer, mentorship by Gambhir and coaching by Chandrakant Pandit.