I've got no bitter feelings towards the guys playing the IPL: Joe Root

After Ben Stokes’ exploits in the previous season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and how he benefitted from it overall, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) wanted most of its players to feature in the tournament this time around. It was expected that not just the likes of Stokes and Jos Buttler but Test captain Joe Root, Moeen Ali and others will also sell big in the IPL 2018 auction.

However, while Stokes continued to be the most expensive pick in the auction, Root found no buyers and remained unsold. But the Test captain is not frustrated and rather excited to watch his teammates make it count in the IPL and gain experience that will in turn help the England team. Root said he put his name in the auction to get additional exposure in the T20 format but since it didn’t materialize he is happy to watch others play the league.

Root isn’t frustrated

“It’s not frustration watching the other guys,” Root told Sky Sports Cricket.

“… I went into the IPL auction to get a bit more exposure to T20 cricket, it didn’t materialise, it would have been nice to be involved in that but I’ve got no bitter feelings towards the other guys, I think it’s great.”

He stated that Stokes and Buttler have come a long way since they featured in the tournament last year and his English team-mates who are playing the IPL will certainly take their game a notch higher after this.

“They’ll benefit hugely from it and we, as a side, will benefit hugely from it. Look at the way Jos and Ben and a few guys came back from it last year and what it has brought to their games…” Root said.

“Hopefully that can happen on a wider scale with more and more players going out there from English cricket, playing under scrutiny and in the high-pressure situations that that tournament brings, it can only be a good thing for us in the long term,” the Test skipper mentioned.

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