Reports: Gujarat to welcome Rahmanullah Gurbaz as Jason Roy’s replacement
Explosive England opener Jason Roy had left everyone shell-shocked when he decided to withdraw from the IPL 2022 with immediate effect last week citing bio-bubble fatigue. He then made it clear the very next day that he wanted to spend some quality time with his family ahead of the gruelling cricketing schedule down the line.
Roy was signed by the new entrants Gujarat Titans at the two-day event in Bengaluru for INR two crore. The South Africa-born cricketer’s sudden decision to back out from the upcoming marquee tournament left Gujarat in a fix and they started looking for replacement options instantly. Lately, the new franchise has supposedly found a replacement for the dynamic opener even though they are yet to announce it officially.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz to join Titans as Jason Roy’s replacement
On March 8, a passionate cricket fan had shared a tweet mentioning that Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been named as Jason Roy’s replacement for IPL 2022.
Now, it remains to be seen whether the Gujarat-based franchise would also go on to confirm the same from their end going forward. Ever since his first-class debut in 2017 for Mis Ainak Knights, Gurbaz has played various franchise T20 leagues across the globe including the teams like Khulna Titans, Barbados Tridents, Multan Sultans, Islamabad United, and Jaffna Kings.
The 20-year-old has so far amassed 531 runs in 18 T20I appearances for Afghanistan, averaging 29.5 including two half-centuries with his highest individual score being 79. The youngster had recently represented Islamabad United in PSL 2022, finishing with 139 runs from six games at an average of 27.80 and a strike rate of 180.51 with his best score being 46.
The Gujarat Titans will be led by star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya who has been an integral part of the competition’s most successful team Mumbai Indians so far. The Titans will kickstart their campaign against other new entrants Lucknow Super Giants on March 28 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
