"Wade can cover as opener" - Brad Hogg feels Jason Roy’s absence won’t be a huge loss for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg feels that Jason Roy’s decision to pull out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 should not affect Gujarat Titans (GT) significantly. According to Hogg, GT have enough overseas batting resources to make up for the England opener’s absence.

31-year-old Roy was purchased by the Gujarat franchise at the mega auction last month for his base price of ₹2 crore. However, he decided to pull out of the IPL 2022 edition citing bubble fatigue.

Reacting to the England batter’s decision to not take part in this year’s event, Hogg claimed that Matthew Wade could take his spot at the top of the order.

He wrote on Twitter:

“Roy not a huge loss for @gujarat_titans Wade can cover as a opener and there is still some good overseas batting stocks on the market. #IPL.”

With the dashing England opener pulling out, Wade and Shubman Gill could be the opening combination for the Hardik Pandya-led franchise. Gill was picked up by GT ahead of the auction as a draft pick.

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“It's added up and taken its toll on me” - Jason Roy explains his decision to pull out

Explaining the reason behind his decision to pull out of IPL 2022, Roy said that bubble life has taken a toll on him. Hence, he wants to spend some time with his family.

Releasing a statement on Twitter, the right-hander wrote:

"It's with a heavy heart I have decided to pull out of this year's tournament. I want to thank the management and the captain Hardik for putting your faith in me and picking me in the auction.

He added:

"However, with everything going on in the world over the last 3 years it's added up and taken its toll on me. I feel it's only right I spend some quality time with my family. As well as spending time working on myself and my game over the next couple of months leading into a very busy year. I will be following each game of the Titans and backing them to lift the trophy in their first year of the tournament."

The England cricketer recently represented Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He played six matches, hammering 303 runs at an average of 50.50 and a strike rate of 170.22.

In his IPL career, he has featured in 13 matches, scoring 329 runs at a strike rate of 129.01 with a best of 91*.