IPL 2021: Jason Roy lands in Chennai to join SRH squad

England opener Jason Roy has arrived in Chennai to participate in the Indian Premier League. The destructive batsman, who went unsold in the IPL auction, was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad after Australia’s Mitchell Marsh pulled out of the T20 extravaganza. Roy, however, will have to undergo seven days of mandatory quarantine before he can join the SRH squad. Roy’s arrival was confirmed by the official Twitter handle of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

.@JasonRoy20 has arrived 🙌



Squad complete for #IPL2021 ✅#OrangeOrNothing #OrangeArmy pic.twitter.com/DEJNUk8BL0

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 10, 2021

Roy’s inclusion in the SRH camp came as a surprise to many as SRH is already equipped with plenty of openers. The duo of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow has done well for the ‘Orange Army’ while Wriddhiman Saha can also be used at the top. Moreover, Mitchell Marsh was a genuine all-rounder and replacing him with a pure batsman didn’t make sense. With Rashid Khan, David Warner and Kane Williamson certainties, Roy might not get a lot of chance in the playing XI, unless Jonny Bairstow has a poor start to the tournament.

Talking about Jason Roy’s form, the opener was part of England's limited over squad against India. While he was very consistent, he failed to convert his starts into big scores. Earlier, in the Big Bash League, he helped Perth Scorchers reach the summit clash of the tournament. The 30-year-old accumulated 355 runs in 13 games at a strike rate of 130.51 and an average of 32.27.

Roy’s stint with SRH will be his third in the IPL. Earlier, he represented Gujarat Lions in 2017 and Delhi Daredevils in 2018. However, Roy has only played eight IPL games in the two seasons with a best score of unbeaten 91 against Mumbai Indians in 2018.