IPL 2022 | Five possible replacements for Jason Roy at Gujarat Titans

On Monday (1st March), Jason Roy pulled out of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to bio bubble fatigue. The explosive English opener was bought by Gujarat Titans for INR 2 crores at his base price. He has been in the form of his life scoring at an average of over 50 in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and it was pretty much assured that he would open the innings alongside Shubham Gill. The 31-year-old chose to spend time with his family over the IPL and announced his decision on Twitter. Since the swashbuckling opener has opted out, the franchise will be looking at alternative options in the market.

Here is a list of 5 players that the Gujarat Titans might sign to replace the English opener:

Will Smeed: Will Smeed is a 20-year-old opener from England who took the PSL 2022 by storm. The young opener has two scores of over 90 in the short spell for the Quetta Gladiators. Smeed is an explosive opener who has the ability to play those big match-winning innings. The Cambridge-born batsman proved his mettle in subcontinental conditions which makes him a decent option to replace the dangerous Roy. The fact that he is just 20 years old is something that will play in his favour as the franchise can invest in him for the long run.

Chris Lynn: The Australian opener has been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2012 but came into the limelight in the 2018 edition while representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Lynn had been a part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the past few seasons but found it difficult to break into the lineup. The Queenslander has been playing in the Asian conditions for years and possesses the experience needed to perform in subcontinental tracks. The Brisbane stalwart might have been unsold in the mega auction but his experience makes him a decent replacement option for Roy.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: The Afghanistan opener has been the talk of the town ever since he smashed a beautifully constructed ton against Bangladesh a few days back. With his incredible record, the wicketkeeper-batsman made quite a transition representing the country from U-19 to the international level. Gurbaz came into the limelight while representing the Afghanistan U-19 team back in 2018. At just 16, he was smashing the bowlers all around the park. The Islamabad United player is an explosive top order batter who played the majority of his cricket growing up in the subcontinent conditions and this might give him a huge advantage over other available options. With age on his side, the T20 star looks like a great prospect for the future.

Ben McDermott: McDermott has been a star player in the Big Bash League (BBL) for years now and the fact that he is yet to ply his trade in the toughest twenty is a bit shocking. One of the deadliest openers in the BBL remained unsold in the IPL mega-auction. The Australian opener scored back to back hundreds in the last edition of the BBL. McDermott hardly played any cricket in the subcontinent and it is one of the biggest reasons why one of the best from the BBL hasn’t been picked up in the IPL auction. With his aggressive approach, the Hobart Hurricanes hitter would compliment Gill in the best possible way if the Gujarat Titans decide to go ahead with him. The Tasmanian gives them an option of being their wicket-keeper and even if he doesn’t have the gloves on he still is a gun fielder.

Suresh Raina: ‘Mr.IPL’ Suresh Raina remained unsold in the IPL 2022 Mega- Auction and it came as a huge surprise to many. The southpaw has hardly played any cricket in the past two years apart from taking part in the 2021 edition where he underperformed for CSK. 

In normal circumstances, GT would not even imagine replacing Roy with Raina but the blunders that they made in the auction hall might force them to think of Raina. The Titans do not have a dependable Indian middle-order batter might trouble them. Wriddhiman Saha and Gurkeerat Singh are both a part of their squad but have underperformed over the past few seasons and can’t be relied on. 

With Matthew Wade and David Miller in their ranks, it might be a bit easier to fill the boots of Roy. So they might be tempted to look at Raina who will strengthen their middle order and solve a few major issues that exist in their top order. Drafting Raina will also bring in a huge fan base and the fact that the Indian veteran played for the Gujarat Lions back in the day makes him a great option for the franchise.