IPL 2022: Joe Root decides against entering mega auction; to focus on Tests following Ashes 2021-22 debacle

Joe Root was considering entering the IPL 2022 mega auction. However, he has decided against it. Instead, he will be focusing on England following its debacle in the 2021-22 Ashes.

English Test skipper Joe Root is under fire for his side suffering a brutal 0-4 loss in the just-concluded Ashes 2021-22 Test series in Australia. During the tour, he had hinted at entering the upcoming mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. However, now, he seems to have decided against it and will instead focus on England.

Root is one of the modern-day great batters. Although he specialises in the longest format, he has had a decent career in the limited-overs circuit. However, the 31-year-old has never played the IPL to date and wished to try his luck at the lucrative Twenty20 (T20) event before the Ashes debacle put his plans in cold water.

Root had asserted that he would only consider playing in the IPL if it did not distract him from the Tests. "There's a lot that we need to do for this team, which deserves all of my energy. I'll keep sacrificing as much as I can because I care so much about Test cricket in our country and trying to get us to where we want to be," he had told reporters following England's defeat in the final Test at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Sunday.

The Ashes debacle has called for Root to step down as the skipper, while calls are being made for a more dominant leader for the side. However, he has affirmed that he is unwilling to step down from the role anytime soon, having done so for a long time. He has been leading the side since 2017 and has done a great job, also allowing the side to reach the summit of the ICC Test Rankings.

"It's complicated when you get beaten as heavily as we have done on this tour to convince people I'm the right man. But, I can tell you one thing for sure as long as I have the opportunity to captain this team, I will throw everything into it and give everything, for everyone supporting us, for the guys around me, for the players to try and provide an environment that allows us to be successful," Root concluded.