IPL 2022: Fans suggest Gujarat Titans bring in IPL legend Suresh Raina as Jason Roy's replacement

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New Delhi, March 2: A day after England batter Jason Roy announced pulling out of IPL 2022 citing extended stay in the tournament bubble, fans on social media suggested the Gujarat Titans franchise pick up the ex-India cricketer Suresh Raina as the former's replacement.

Gujarat Titans - who are one of the two new IPL franchises - were dealt with a blow, weeks before the event gets going. Roy, reportedly, informed the franchise of his decision last week. The Titans are yet to finalise a replacement. The IPL 2022 will be a 10-team event and will take place in Mumbai and Pune.

The 31-year-old South African-born English cricketer was signed by Gujarat Titans for his base price of Rs 2 crore at the mega auction. The development is a big blow to the Gujarat franchise as Roy was the only specialist opener picked by them apart from young Shubman Gill.

This is the second time the English player pulled out of the IPL. He had earlier withdrawn from the 2020 edition due to personal reasons after being picked up by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.5 crore.

The 15th edition of the IPL is scheduled to begin on March 26 and will conclude in the last week of May. Last season, Roy had represented Sunrisers Hyderabad and played a few decent knocks before carrying his form to the Pakistan Super League this year, where he turned out for the Quetta Gladiators.

With Roy no more available with the side, fans of the Ahmedabad-based franchise started sharing their opinion on social media as to why Raina - who wasn't picked up by any franchise in the IPL 2022 Auction - could be a fine replacement. Raina - who was amongst the core players the MS Dhoni-led side didn't retain ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction - had kept his base price at Rs 2 crore. He, however, found no takers during the two-day auction process.

Raina - who until last year was part of the Chennai Super Kings' side - has been one of the IPL greats as the left-handed batsman from Uttar Pradesh scored heavily. He was part of all four CSK teams which lifted the IPL trophy. Many believe that Raina - who had a forgettable IPL 2021 - could be a valuable addition to the franchise and the vast experience the southpaw has will bode well for the Hardik Pandya-led side.

Here's what fans and even experts had to say on social media: