England cricketer Joe Root, who is one of the most celebrated international players, has decided to withdraw from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Rajasthan Royals made the official announcement on Saturday regarding his availability for the 2024 season.
The England veteran joined the IPL last season after being picked by the Royals in the 2023 mini-auction and played three matches for the franchise in the 2023 edition.
Joe Root played for England in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Although he started his campaign on a positive note, scoring a couple of fifties against New Zealand and Bangladesh, he failed to maintain his form thereafter, with the defending champions finishing in the 7th position.
Rajasthan Royals’ Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, believes that Joe Root had a positive impact on the team despite his short time with the squad. Root’s experience was vital to the team, and it helped youngsters Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag learn from his international experience.
“During our retention conversations, Joe informed us of his decision to not take part in IPL 2024. 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,” Kumar Sangakkara said.
“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 a statement.
In addition to Root, RR will also be missing out on another batter in the 2024 edition, as they traded Devdutt Padikkal to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in exchange for Avesh Khan. Joe Root and Ben Stokes have decided to withdraw from the IPL 2024 season, With Root’s unexpected departure, the IPL 2024 auction is now poised to be more intriguing for fans and franchises.
Rajasthan Royals will be looking to improve their squad at the IPL 2024 mini-auction which is scheduled to be held overseas for the first time after a dismissal performance in the IPL 2023. The event will take place in Dubai on December 19th.