Ex-captain Joe Root expresses desire to ply his trade in IPL: 'Would be great to get...'

Former England Test captain Joe Root has revealed that he is planning to enter the IPL auction in a bid to play in the world's biggest cricketing league. Root, who has never played in the IPL, told Daily Mail that he would consider putting his name in the IPL draw and hope to get exposure in the tournament. He added that it would be great if he gets an opportunity to get involved in the league. The former England Test captain also said that he believes that he got alienated from the shortest format because he had not played enough of it, adding "I always used to get rested from T20s."

"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. I have no thoughts or feelings of retirement or slowing down or playing fewer formats. 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," Root told dailymail.co.uk.

Joe Root in IPL

Root had entered the IPL auction in 2018 but he went unsold after no franchise showed interest in acquiring the player for the season. He was planning to put his name up for the IPL 2022 mega auction as well but he eventually dropped the plan saying that he would play in the tournament only if it doesn't distract him from Test cricket. Since Root is no longer the captain of England's Test team, he will most likely enter the auction this year and would hope to get picked for the season. 

Root has played just 32 T20I matches for England since making his debut in 2012. The 31-year-old has scored 893 runs at an average of 36.72 and with a strike rate of 126.30. He has smashed five half-centuries in the format for England. 

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