Dubai:
England’s opening batsman Jason Roy has opted out from the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The player was set to represent Delhi Capitals this year, but as a result of him pulling out, the franchise has named Australia’s pacer Daniel Sams as his replacement, ESPNCricinfo reported.
As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, the pacer had made headlines for Sydney Thunder at the 2019-20 Big Bash League where he finished as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. He is also a part of Australia’s squad for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against England.
Earlier today, Roy had been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series between England and Pakistan, slated to begin from August 28. With Roy pulling out of the IPL, he has become the second English player after Chris Woakes to do so.
Woakes was also slated to represent Delhi Capitals, but the franchise later named Proteas pacer Anrich Nortje as his replacement. Roy had been picked by Delhi Capitals for his base price of INR 1.5 crore at the players’ auction.
The IPL 2020 will be played from September 19-November 10 in the UAE across three venues –Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. All eight IPL franchises have reached UAE for taking part in the upcoming tournament.
All players and team personnel are required to undergo a six-day quarantine period after landing in the UAE and everyone needs to be tested for Covid-19 thrice. Once, they all test negative for Covid-19, the players can start training in the UAE with their team-mates.
The final match of the 2020 edition is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament. This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
