Joe Root has expressed his desire to be part of the IPL Mega Auction 2022 and the likes of Lucknow and Ahmedabad Franchises could potentially bag him.
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Mitchell Starc has not played in the IPL for seven years. The last time he played, he helped Royal Challengers Bangalore reach the second qualifier. The left-arm pacer has expressed his desire to be part of the auction this time. Now, England Test skipper Joe Root has reportedly expressed his desire to be part of the IPL Mega-Auction in 2022. Root has never played in the IPL and he might want to play the tournament once in his career.
While replying to a query from ESPNCricinfo, Root stated, “Time is ticking but I have a lot to weigh up. Will it have a negative impact on me playing Test cricket? If I don’t think so then I will put myself in the auction. But I will never do anything that will detract from playing Test cricket for England. It’s so important to make sure that is the priority for me and other players as well.”
In the past, Root did put his name up in the auction but his base price of Rs 2 crore often meant that he was ignored. But, with two new teams coming up and with sides now totally changing their batting and bowling composition, Root might get a chance to play in the IPL.
Read – Joe Root surpasses Graeme Smith’s record number of runs in a year
Joe Root has been pigeonholed as a Test match specialist but his numbers in ODIs and T20Is are not that bad. In ODIs, he has the most centuries with 16 and his average is close to 50. In Twenty20 Internationals, he once played a knock of 83 off 44 balls against South Africa in Mumbai. That knock in the ICC World T20 2016 helped England achieve the-then highest run-chase in history.
Root averages 35 in Twenty20 Internationals with a high score of 90 which he made against Australia in Southampton. But, his strike rate of 126 might prompt many franchises to not go after Root. The last time Root played a Twenty20 International was back in 2019 in which he scored 47 against Pakistan in Cardiff.
In 2021, Root emerged as the leading run-getter in Tests in the calendar year. He hit 1708 runs but he still could not help England avoid an Ashes defeat. In the fifth and final Test against Australia in Hobart, Root would be determined to ensure he ends his Australian jinx. In the three tours that he has played in Australia, he has never managed to score a century. The final Test in Hobart gives Root potentially one more opportunity to score a century Down Under.
