London — England opener Jason Roy announced on Tuesday he has withdrawn from this season's Indian Premier League, in which he was due to play for new franchise Gujarat Titans.
The 10-team Twenty20 competition is scheduled to run from March 26 to May 29.
Roy, who had a second child in early January and played in the Pakistan Super League last month, said he needed a break.
"It's with a heavy heart I have decided to pull out of this year's tournament," the 31-year-old wrote on his social media accounts.
He added: "With everything going on in the world over the last three years it's added up and taken its toll on me.
"I feel it's only right I spend some quality time with my family, as well as spending time working on myself and my game over the next couple of months leading into a very busy year."
Roy, a hard-hitting opening batsman who was part of England's victorious team at the 2019 World Cup, will be hoping to make a big impact at the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
He suffered an injury during the 2021 tournament that ruled him out of the semi-final defeat to New Zealand.
AFP