"Massive shame not to be involved" - Jason Roy expresses disappointment at IPL 2021 snub

England opener Jason Roy took to Twitter to express dissatisfaction at not being a part of the upcoming IPL 2021.

The IPL mini-auction, which was held this Thursday, reported a flurry of big names being left unsold. Amongst them was England opener Jason Roy, who did not attract a single bidder this season.

The English batsman later took to Twitter to express his discontent saying, “massive shame not to be involved in the IPL this year”. However, he was magnanimous enough to congratulate his peers, especially those that made the headlines with lofty price tags.

Massive shame not to be involved in the @IPL this year but wanted to congratulate all the lads that did get picked up. Especially some of the high rollers. Going to be good to watch 👊🏼

— Jason Roy (@JasonRoy20) February 18, 2021

57 of the initially shortlisted 292 players came away with fresh IPL contracts. The buy of the auction, however, was South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris who was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for a whopping 16.25 crore.

Other big signings included Glenn Maxwell (14.25 crore), Kyle Jamieson (15 crore) – both to the Royal Challengers Bangalore – and Jhye Richardson (14 crore) to the Punjab Kings. Indian all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham became the most expensive uncapped player ever as the Chennai Super Kings snapped him up for a gigantic 9.25 crore.

Big names like Aaron Finch, Alex Hales, Alex Carey, Hanuma Vihari and Martin Guptill were also left unsold this season as most teams were only looking to fill specific gaps.

Not surprisingly, there were a few splurges as it meant that teams could afford to spend more on specific players if they fit into the current team setup, balance, and requirement, especially those with bigger purses.

Jason Roy began his IPL journey in 2017

Jason Roy playing for the Gujarat lions

Jason Roy made his IPL debut in 2017 for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, and was picked by the Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) the year after. However, he did not play the last two IPL's despite being in the team citing injury and personal issues.

Roy played for the Perth Scorchers, who finished runners-up in the latest BBL season. His performances were noteworthy - although apparently not enough to book a slot in the coveted Indian Premier League - as he added firepower at the top and averaged 32.27 with a best score of 74*. He will be back in action for the five-match T20I series against India starting March 12.