Joe Root Disappointed After Being Snubbed During 2018 IPL Player Auction

Joe Root has, for the first time, admitted his disappointment after going unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction in January earlier this year.

The England Test captain was part of a 16-member marquee players list going into the auction, but remained unsold at the end of the two days. He was one of two marquee players not picked up by any of the eight franchises — the other being South Africa’s Hashim Amla.

Root admitted his disappointment, but made it clear it was not because of a lost chance to rake in high remuneration, rather to fulfill his desire to play more Twenty20 cricket, especially with the T20 World Cup coming up in two years time. The Englishman was understanding as to the reason for the snub, acknowledging each team comes into the auction with a specific plan with regards to the players they want to buy.

England is currently on a tour of New Zealand until April 2 when the final Test match concludes. The Three Lions will next be in action only on May 24, when Pakistan visit England for a two Test Series.

The 27-year-old is hoping to use the break to prepare for the upcoming test season that begins with Pakistan’s visit in May and ends with the India’s Tour of England in September. In between the visit of the two Asian cricket giants, Joe Root will be involved when England takes on Australia in a six-match One-Day International Series.

“I was disappointed,” Root said, as quoted by the Guardian. “The reason I wanted to go out there was to play more Twenty20 cricket; it wasn’t to go and earn as much money as possible. I’m not in that position."

“For me, I wasn’t going to fit into any one of those [IPL] teams. There’s not really much you can do. It was disappointing but it’s also very understandable. Sides have a clear idea of what they want their makeup of their team to look like and they build around that," Root added.

“You’ve just got to get on with the rest of the cricket I can play. It gives me a really good period to make sure everything is set for the start of the Test season back at home but it would have been really nice to have had the experience and everything that the IPL brings to the table,” the captain of England said.

Root made it clear that he wants to play more limited overs cricket and believes it is the only way he can make himself be seen as a viable option in the shortest format of the game. He recently skipped the Trans-Tasman Twenty20 tri-series, which Australia won beating New Zealand in the final. This was due to the insistence of England coach Trevor Bayliss, who wanted Root to rest after their 4-0 humbling at the hands of the Australians in the Ashes. The coach wanted his Test captain in peak physical form ahead of their Test Series against New Zealand later in the month.

“It’s hard to do that without playing,” Root added when asked how he can make himself more attractive to T20 franchises.

“It’s completely out of my control. The amount of Twenty20 cricket I’m available to play at the moment is minimal and there’s a World T20 in a couple of years’ time. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some good experience in a fantastic tournament,” he added.