Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) Joe Root will not be participating in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the retention deadline on Sunday, November 26. Franchise director of cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, confirmed that the Englishman informed them of his unavailability for the upcoming season.
Joe Root, who made a last-minute purchase in the accelerated round of the IPL 2023 mini-auction, entered the 2023 season after playing in the International League T20 (ILT20) for the Dubai Capitals. He played in three matches for RR, scoring 10 runs in one innings and bowling a couple of overs.
Root recently played for England in the 2023 ODI World Cup, beginning his campaign with promising fifties against New Zealand and Bangladesh. However, he struggled to score in subsequent matches and only managed to end his stint with a fifty against Pakistan, with England finishing seventh in the points table.
In addition to Root, RR will also be without another batter in the 2024 edition after trading Devdutt Padikkal to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the acquisition of Avesh Khan. The franchise failed to make it to the playoffs in the 2023 edition despite a strong start to the season, particularly struggling in the bowling department after Prasidh Krishna was ruled out due to injury.
RR will be looking to strengthen their squad at the IPL 2024 mini-auction, which is scheduled to be held overseas for the first time in Dubai on December 19.
