England's Root joins Stokes in missing next year's IPL
England batsman Joe Root has pulled out of next year's Indian Premier League, joining his red-ball skipper Ben Stokes in sitting out the glitzy Twenty20 tournament. Root, who had made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals earlier this year, opted out a day before the deadline for franchises to announce their releases and retentions ahead of the auction on December 19. "Joe Root has opted out of IPL 2024. The dressing room will miss you, Rooty," Royals said late on Saturday in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Root became the second player from England to opt out of the IPL after Stokes announced his withdrawal last week in order to manage his workload and fitness. Royals said in a statement on their website that they "respect" Root's decision. "Even in a short span of time, Joe was able to create such a positive impact on the franchise and the players around him," said Kumar Sangakkara, Royals' director of cricket. "His energy around the group and the experience he brought to the Royals will be missed. We respect his decision totally and wish him success in everything he does." Root was signed up by Royals for his base price of US$121,000 in the IPL auction this year. He played three games but batted in just one, scoring 10 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur. The IPL remains the most popular and lucrative Twenty20 league in the world. But it is a lengthy and demanding tournament, posing a risk of injury, fatigue and burnout for players who face an increasingly packed international schedule. (AFP)