England opener and Gujarat Titans new signing Jason Roy has pulled out of the upcoming IPL citing bio-bubble fatigue. According to a report in 'ESPNcricinfo', Roy informed the franchise of his decision last week. The Titans are yet to finalise a replacement. The 31-year-old South African-born English cricketer was signed by Gujarat Titans for his base price of Rs 2 crore at the mega auction.

The development is a big blow to the Gujarat franchise as Roy was the only specialist opener picked by them apart from young Shubman Gill. This is the second time the English player is pulling out of the IPL. He had earlier withdrawn from the 2020 edition due to personal reasons after being picked up by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.5 crore. The 15th edition of the IPL is scheduled to begin on March 26 and will conclude in the last week of May. Last season, Roy had represented Sunrisers Hyderabad.  He went unsold at the 2021 auction but was drafted in as a replacement for the Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh. Overall, Roy has managed to score 329 runs in 13 IPL matches at an average of 29.90 and a strike rate of 129.01.