A day before the retention deadline, England batsman
Joe Root, who debuted in the IPL earlier this year with the Rajasthan Royals,
decided not to play in the 2024 edition of the league. The Royals
“respect” Root’s decision, according to a statement posted on their
website.
“During our retention conversations, Joe informed
us of his decision to not take part in IPL 2024,” Kumar Sangakkara,
Royals’ director of cricket, said. “Even in a short span of time, Joe was
able to create such a positive impact on the franchise and the players around
him. His energy around the group and the experience he brought to the Royals
will be missed. We respect his decision totally and wish him success in
everything he does.”
Root was purchased by the Royals for his base price of
INR 1 crore ($US 121,000 at the time) at the IPL 2023 auction. He scored ten
runs in three games for them, but he only batted in one, against Royal
Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur. Root attempted to be a “sponge” in
India to “soak up a lot of different information” and adjust to the
T20 format, despite the restricted opportunities.
Young people like Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal,
the IPL 2023 breakthrough hitter, were also enjoyable to be around.
“The 32-year-old’s addition to the Royals squad
brought in plenty of depth and experience, which served as a learning
experience for a lot of youngsters in the side like Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag,
Yashasvi Jaiswal in the team,” the franchise said in the statement.
“His camaraderie with his England teammate Jos Buttler and his bonding
with Yuzvendra Chahal was also one of the memorable highlights of the former
England Test skipper’s stint with the Royals.”
After Ben Stokes, the captain of England’s Test team,
Root is the second player to withdraw from the upcoming IPL season. Franchises
have till November 26 to declare their releases and retentions in advance of
the December 19 auction.
The Royals have already made moves during the trade
window, acquiring India’s Avesh Khan, a fast bowler, from the Lucknow Super
Giants and sending Devdutt Padikkal to the same team.