England batter Joe Root has withdrawn from next year's Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals (RR) have confirmed.
Root, one of the greatest English batters in international cricket, bagged his maiden IPL contract when RR roped him in ahead of this year's campaign. He featured in three games.
RR broke Root's withdrawal news ahead of the IPL 2024 retention deadline on Sunday.
"During our retention conversations, Joe informed us of his decision to not take part in IPL 2024. Even in a short span of time, Joe was able to create such a positive impact on the franchise and the players around him. His energy around the group and the experience he brought to the Royals will be missed. We respect his decision totally and wish him success in everything he does," RR's Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara said in a statement.
England's managing director of men's cricket, Rob Key, had said after announcing the squad for the Caribbean tour that Root "needs a break" at the end of the World Cup.
"He's not stopped since probably New Zealand or what he did in Pakistan, the ILT20, New Zealand, the Hundred, Ashes and so on," Key had said in an interview.
During the IPL 2023 auction, RR bought former England captain Root for his base price of £95,852 ($121,000 approx. at the time). In three appearances for RR in IPL 2023, Root batted just once, scoring 10 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Jaipur, RR's home venue.
Root became the second England player after his Test captain Ben Stokes to pull out of the next season of the IPL. Nov. 26 was the deadline for franchises to announce their releases and retentions ahead of the auction on Dec. 19.
Royals have already been active in the trade window, bringing in India fast bowler Avesh Khan from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), while letting go of Devdutt Padikkal to Super Giants.
Stokes and Root were recently a part of England's ICC Cricket World Cup side. Stokes is now due to have knee surgery before England's five-match Test series in India next year. Stokes was Chennai Super Kings' most expensive signing for the 2023 IPL but played just twice due to injury issues.
A statement from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) earlier said their "management is supportive" of Stokes' "decision to manage his workload". Stokes scored only 15 runs and bowled one over for 18 runs in his two appearances for the CSK, the eventual champions, in the IPL 2023.
