The decision to miss KKR’s campaign was motivated by a desire to spend time with family and a tiring few months, the opener stated.
According to Jason Roy, he decided to prioritise his “mindset and body” above playing in the current IPL 2024 with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
As an injury replacement, Roy had joined KKR in 2023 for INR 2.8 crore (about US$341,000). He was scheduled to return this season after amassing 285 runs at an average of 35.62 and a strike rate of 151.59; but, he withdrew at the beginning of March, claiming personal concerns. Phil Salt, a batter from Lancashire and England, took his spot after that.
Roy has had a difficult eighteen months. He suffered the same fate in October when he was left out of the squad for the defence of the 50-over title he was crucial to in 2019. He had already failed to make the England T20 World Cup squad in 2022. Additionally, he was not selected for the 2019 Hundred after being released by the 2023 champion Oval Invincibles. Roy had ended his ECB incremental contract in May of last year in order to participate in Major League Cricket’s (MLC) first season.
Roy began 2024 in the SA20 for Durban’s Super Giants, wrapping up the season in the T10 for the Chennai Braves, and then participated in two ILT20 matches for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. He started a ten-game PSL spell with Quetta Gladiators five days later.
It’s not like I’ve suddenly decided one morning when I wake up that I really don’t feel like taking that flight to India. Much consideration has gone into it, and yes, it’s much simpler to discuss and make a choice now.
Jason Roy
Speaking on the most recent episode of The Athlete’s Voice podcast, Roy stated his reasoning for skipping this IPL season: a demanding second half of the winter and a wish to spend more time at home with his family.
“Missing this year’s IPL was a huge decision, I think,” Roy stated. “I felt like I owed KCR a big amount since they trusted me enough to keep me after a respectable year the previous year and to be available for them throughout the season and all the other contests. It was a difficult decision, but one I made solely because our first game was right after my daughter’s fifth birthday, I was feeling really exhausted from the start of the year, and there were other things going on.
The last several months have really worn me out because I didn’t play a lot of cricket before. I was very honest with KKR, and since we have a great connection, we were able to reach to an understanding and discuss other things regarding my absence. They fully comprehended, and for that, I am really appreciative. However, I had to prioritise taking care of my health and mind.”
Two years ago, Roy was “in a dark place” and decided to take an indefinite hiatus from the game. As a result, he missed the Gujarat Titans’ IPL 2022 and announced his retirement. In March of that year, the 33-year-old received a reprimand from the ECB for “conducting himself in a manner which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket, the ECB, and himself into disrepute” at an approximate time. Roy received a suspended two-match ban and a £2,500 fine after he acknowledged the charge.
“A couple of years ago, I went through an extremely bad patch with my mindset,” he stated. “With my mental health and other issues, I withdrew from the IPL shortly after signing a contract with Gujarat, but that was for a whole different cause. That was a result of my own doing, being in a strange and gloomy environment, and my state of mind.
I kind of told myself, ‘I’m okay, I’m okay,’ and I carried on playing and avoiding going home. I simply ended up shooting myself in the foot, you know. I essentially told myself that I would simply listen to my heart and head and work it out from there on out early this year.
Being able to make judgements like I have this year and know that they can turn out a specific way was a tremendous learning curve for me. Nonetheless, it has nothing—absolutely nothing—to do with anybody else.
“It’s your choice; as an adult man with a young family, I made the choice after giving it a lot of thought. It’s not like I’ve suddenly decided one morning when I wake up that I really don’t feel like taking that flight to India. There’s been a lot of thinking put into it, and yes, it’s gotten easier to talk about and make decisions about because you know what may happen to you, especially from previous experiences.”