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IPL 2022 : Fans want Gujarat Titans to name Suresh Raina as a replacement of Jason Roy

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina wasn’t retained by Chennai Super Kings at the Indian Premier League auction 2022, and he was remained unsold in IPL 2022 mega auction, however he was expected to be roped in by some other franchise. 

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans – who are one of the two new IPL franchises – were dealt with a blow, as English batter Jason Roy pulled himself out of the tournament. The right-hander cited that he wants to spend more time with his family. There are many speculations about who will replace the English opener in the Gujarat Titans squad. Although there’s no official confirmation, many fans want the Hardik Pandya-led side to rope in Suresh Raina as a replacement. 

The moment Roy announced that he is opting out of the mega event, cricket fans started trending with Raina’s hashtag on Twitter as fans believe that the southpaw is the perfect replacement for Roy. Notably, both Roy and Raina played together in the 2017 edition of IPL for now-defunct Gujarat Lions. Raina was the skipper of Gujarat Lions when Chennai Super Kings were banned from taking part in the IPL in 2016 and 2017 on corruption charges.

Raina is the fourth-highest run-getter in IPL history. During his IPL term, he made 5528 run by playing 205 matches. However, his performance in the last two season was not good. He missed the 2020 IPL due to the personal reason while he made only 160 runs in the 2021 IPL.

Jason Roy pulled out of the IPL 2022 due to bio bubble fatigue

England batsman Jason Roy has decided to pulled out of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League citing challenges of staying in a bubble. Gujarat Titans bagged him in the mega auction with his base price of INR 2cr. Roy played his last year’s season from the Sunrises Hyderabad franchise.

According to a report in ‘ESPNcricinfo’, Jason Roy informed the franchise of his decision last week. The Titans are yet to finalise a replacement. However, the England cricketer’s pull-out from the IPL would hurt the franchise as he was in sublime form in the PSL, where, despite playing just six games for the Gladiators, he still managed to score 303 runs at an average of 50.50 and a strike rate of 170.22. 

This is the second time Roy has decided not to take part in the IPL after finding a team at the auction. In 2020, Delhi Capitals picked up Roy for his then base price of Rs 1.5 crore but he opted out for personal reasons. The 31-year-old cricketer last season had represented Sunrisers Hyderabad and dished out a few decent performances. 

https://twitter.com/wildcardgyan/status/1498512656634114052?s=20&t=sh_VOLvdTEMA_2x4e1r3WQ

Meanwhile, the 2022 edition of the IPL is slated to kick off on 26th March 2022. The opening match of the tournament will see the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locking horns with two-time IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The tournament will conclude on 29th May 2022. With 10 teams, more matches and an exclusive 2-month window for the event, while it won’t be surprising to see a few more withdrawals for mental health and bio-bubble fatigue reasons