'Had to put my mindset and body first': Jason Roy reveals reason behind skipping IPL 2024

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) England opener Jason Roy has said he had to pull out of the ongoing IPL 2024 season, where he was supposed to play with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), in order to put his "mindset and body first".

Roy's withdrawal from IPL 2024 meant KKR had to sign in fellow England opener Phil Salt. Roy came to KKR in IPL 2023 after Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to a lower back injury and Shakib Al Hasan wasn’t available for the season and went on to score 285 runs in eight matches at an average of 35.63 and strike-rate of 151.60, including two half-centuries.

"Missing this year's IPL was a huge decision, I think. KKR put so much trust in me by retaining me after a decent year last year and being available for them throughout the year and all the other competitions, I felt like I owe them a huge amount.

"It was a very big decision, but a decision I came to just because it was my daughter's fifth birthday as soon as our first game was, there were a few things going on, I was quite tired after the start of my year," said Roy on the latest episode of The Athlete's Voice podcast.

In this year, after 2023 saw him miss out on England’s squad for 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India, Roy played SA20 for Durban's Super Giants before going on to represent Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in two matches of ILT20. He would go on to play for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL 2024.

"I've come off the back of not a huge amount of cricket, so the last couple of months have really taken it out of me. So I was very honest to KKR and we've got a fantastic relationship, so we were able to come to an agreement and stuff like that on why I wasn't coming. They completely understood so I'm very grateful to them for that. But I just had to put myself first, just mindset and body," he added.

Roy’s withdrawal from IPL 2024 also came from the learning he had two years ago, when he was forced to take an indefinite break from the game and missed IPL 2022 for Gujarat Titans. "That was a huge learning curve for me, to be able to make decisions like I have this year, you know, and it can look a certain way. But it's nothing to do with anyone else, it's absolutely nothing to do with anyone else.

"It's your decision - I've got a young family, I'm a grown man and I've made the decision off the back of a lot of thoughts. I've not just woken up one morning and thought, 'You know what - I actually don't feel like getting on that flight to India'.

"A lot of thought has gone into it, and it's become far easier to talk about and a far easier decision, just because you know, especially from past experiences, what that can do to you," he concluded.

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