What’s the story?
Gujarat Lions will have no shortage of openers as they kickstart their IPL 2017 campaign with Jason Roy, Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch and Dwayne Smith all providing coach Brad Hodge with a selection headache. Owner Keshav Bansal admitted he was surprised to see Roy go unsold in the first round and revealed the reason behind acquiring the services of the England opener.
While he admitted that a player like Roy at INR 1 crore was a no-brainer, he also added that he affords them flexibility which could prove crucial over the tenth edition of the IPL where there is bound to be some fitness concerns.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Keshav Bansal said: “First of all, we were a little surprised once the first leg of the auction was over, Jason Roy went unsold and no one really bid for him. We did understand that there's no one was going to go for, Roy for sure, so we went on to give his name for the second leg of the auction. And at 1 crore, a world-class fire-hitter like Jason Roy is worth a buy and secondly, you need to understand that we have a lot of injuries and fitness issues during the IPL, so you need to have replacements.
“It is the coach who decides these things, but although Roy is a specialist opener even if you have him three down or four down, you never know who clicks that day and he might be a match-winner for you.”
Extra Cover: IPL 2017: Keshav Bansal gives update on Jadeja and Bravo's availability
The Context
Jason Roy was in sublime during the limited-overs leg of the India-England series. The England opener scored a fifty in each of the three ODIs against India before he was eventually snapped up by Gujarat Lions in the auction ahead of IPL 2017.
The Details
Jason Roy has scored over 3,500 runs in T20s at an average of nearly 30 and a strike rate in excess of 140. He has established himself as one of the most explosive openers in T20s and his ability to get his team off to a flyer has made him an invaluable asset for teams around the world.
He took part in PSL 2017 for Lahore Qalandars, where he scored 173 runs in five matches at an average of 43.25, including two fifties. Although he has operated primarily as an opener, he isn’t new to a middle-order role, as he plays there in the County Championship for Surrey.
Extra Cover: Keshav Bansal: "It is not about that one world-class player"
What’s next?
Although the tenth edition of the IPL kicks off on April 5, Gujarat Lions begin their campaign on April 7 at Rajkot against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Author’s Take
While it is true that Gujarat Lions already had plenty of options in the opening department, as Aaron Finch and Dwayne Smith showed last season, they could also play in the middle-order. A player of Roy’s abilities will surely benefit any side and at his base price, he could turn out to be a great buy for the Gujarat Lions.
