IPL 2022: Afghanistan wicket-keeper to replace Jason Roy in Gujarat Titans – Reports
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Jason Roy pulled himself out from IPL 2022 due to personal reasons. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz will likely supersede Roy’s position as wicket-keeper.
Gurbaz remained unsold in the two-days mega auctions in Bengaluru. His base price was Rs 50 Lakh. In 14-months, Gurbaz has played nine ODIs and 20 T20Is. The 20-year-old’s contract papers have been sent for Board Control of Cricket in India’s (BCCI) approval. Gujarat Titans have not confirmed the replacement yet. If he plays, then it’ll be his first IPL stint and he will become the fifth Afghan in IPL 2022 and is set to join his fellow Afghan Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad in the Ahmedabad franchise. His other compatriots include Fazalhaq Farooqi (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Mohammad Nabi (Kolkata Knight Riders).
Although Gurbaz might not be like England’s hard-hitter and wicket-keeper Jason Roy, the franchisee must have chosen him keeping in mind Wriddhiman Saha’s issue. Gurbaz has the eighth-highest strike rate among 65 players who have scored more than 1500 runs in the T20 since 2019. On his T20 debut, this young hard-hitter had scored 43 runs off 24 balls. Gurbaz is a backup option if Saha’s issues take a turn of events.
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Players should not miss the IPL, debates the IPL franchises
Jason Roy wants to spend time with his family and is also fatigued by the bio-secure bubble. That’s why when he was picked up by the Gujarat Titans for the base price of Rs 2 crore, he chose to opt-out of the Indian Premier League 2022. The IPL franchises argue that overseas players must not withdraw themselves from the IPL due to reasons other than fitness issues or national duties.
IPL will start on March 26 with the opening match between former champion Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Gujarat Titans will play their first match with debutant Lucknow Super Giants on March 28.
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Gouri Das
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