IPL 2022 auction: 3 reasons why Jason Roy is a steal for the Gujarat Titans

The Gujarat Titans signed 20 players at the IPL mega-auction, including English opener Jason Roy, whom they acquired for just 2 crores. Their other major signings included Lockie Ferguson (10 crores), Rahul Tewatia (9 crores) and Mohammad Shami (6.25 crores).

The Titans picked Rashid Khan (15 crores), Hardik Pandya (15 crores) and Shubman Gill (8 crores) in the drafts ahead of the IPL mega-auction. However, their overall performance in the draft and auction wasn't good, with multiple holes in the squad.

Let's take a look at three reasons why the Titans have done extremely well to sign Jason Roy.

#3 Value for money

Jason Roy has established himself as one of the best T20 openers in world cricket. He has scored 7088 runs in 268 matches, at an average of 29 and a magnificent strike rate of 143. He is now England's full-time opener in both white-ball formats.

In the Indian Premier League, Jason Roy has scored 329 runs in 13 matches at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 130. While these numbers might not be that impressive at face value, Roy has never had an extended run in the IPL.

The Englishman was among the least expensive openers at the auction. David Warner was signed by the Delhi Capitals for 6.25 crores while de Kock went for 6.75 crores. Even Indian options like Shikhar Dhawan (8.25 crores) and Devdutt Padikkal (7.75 crores) were sold for high amounts.

#2 Perfect companion for Shubman Gill at the top of the order

Jason Roy can complement Shubman Gill well at the top of the order. Since 2021, he has scored 803 runs in the first six overs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 137. Roy can easily take up the role of the aggressor while Gill plays the anchor until spin is introduced into the attack by the opposition.

Against pace, Jason Roy has an incredible record. He scored 2713 runs in the first six overs against pacers at an average of 34 with a strike rate of 139. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has shown immense potential in his spin game in the previous IPL mega-auction cycle (2018-21).

The opening pair will have to do the bulk of the scoring. Gujarat Titans management hasn't done a particularly good job in signing good quality middle-order options.

The likes of Vijay Shankar and Abhinav Manohar will have to step up and create the ideal platform for the captain Hardik Pandya and Australian finisher Matthew Wade to launch at the back end of the innings.

#1 Good T20 form

Just a few days before the mega-auction, Jason Roy played a blinder for the Quetta Gladiators against Lahore Qalandars. He scored 116*(57) as Quetta managed to chase down a target of 205 versus an attack comprising of Shaheen Afridi, Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan. Roy followed this up with another half-century against Islamabad United - 54 (27) in another 200+ chase.

The Englishman had a decent run at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup as well, scoring 123 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 138. He followed it up with 130 runs in 5 innings against the West Indies, which included two brilliant knocks of 45 (31) and 52 (42) on the sticky wickets of Barbados.

Jason Roy also had a great season at the Hundred last summer, where he scored 186 runs in seven innings at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 149.