Joe Root has revealed he is contemplating entering the IPL mini-auction, with the 31-year-old believing it could potentially "benefit my Test cricket" given England's new aggressive and positive approach.
Root has not made a T20I appearance for England since 2019 and previously went unsold in the 2018 IPL auction. He played a crucial role in their run to the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup, ending the tournament as the third leading run scorer with 249 at an average of 49.80 and a strike rate of 146.47.
However, Root's role as Test captain meant he was often rested for bilateral T20Is and England's white-ball revolution under Eoin Morgan quickly left him behind. Now that he is free from the extra responsibility of the captaincy, Root is hoping to play more T20 cricket.
"I have no thoughts or feelings of retirement or slowing down or playing fewer formats," he told the Daily Mail. "If anything, I feel a little bit more freedom with my time.
"I always used to get rested for the T20s and I feel like I got alienated from the format because I had not played enough of it. You can feel like you are getting left behind a little bit.
"Now, the next couple of years, might be a good time to explore playing a little bit more of that format and see how far I can take that side of my game.
"That is especially valid because of how we are trying to play now as a Test team. Looking at the game through a T20 lens, will that benefit my Test cricket?
"With a 50-over World Cup next year, there are areas of my game that can benefit from playing more short-form cricket. When am I going to play some white-ball cricket if I don't go out and search it out domestically?
"I would certainly debate going into the IPL draw quite seriously and hope to get exposure in that tournament. It would be great to get involved in the continuous enormity of each game and how much it means."
