England cricketer Jason Roy has revealed the reasoning behind his decision to withdraw from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Roy, representing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 17th edition has opted out citing personal reasons. This isn’t the first time Roy has made such a decision; he had previously withdrawn from IPL 2020 while playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) and IPL 2022 with the Gujarat Titans (GT).

In 2020, he cited personal reasons for his withdrawal, while in 2022, he took an “indefinite break” from the game.

Roy explained in an official statement released by KKR that he had to make the difficult choice to skip IPL to spend time with his family. He emphasized that he has been away since January and feels the need to reconnect with his family before a busy year ahead.

Despite his absence, Roy expressed his support for the Kolkata Knight Riders and wished them luck for the tournament.

“After much consideration, I have made the tough decision to miss this year’s IPL. Having been away since the start of January I need to get back to my family and have a refresh before a very busy year ahead. I will be supporting my friends and teammates at KKR throughout the tournament and wish them the best of luck,” Roy said.

KKR also announced Roy’s replacement, fellow England cricketer Phil Salt, who remained unsold at IPL 2024 despite an impressive performance with Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2023. KKR acquired Salt at his reserve price of INR 1.5 crore.