England batter Jason Roy has spoken publicly about Quetta Gladiators’ decision not to retain him, saying he was surprised by the call but is now focused on making his stint with Karachi Kings count in PSL 11. In ARY News’ April 28 report, Roy said he was “very happy” to be with Karachi and spoke about taking things “one step at a time” as the team pushes for the playoffs.
The comments land because Roy was not a fringe Quetta player. He had been closely tied to the franchise over multiple seasons and produced some of the most memorable innings in its recent history, including his record-breaking 145 not out in PSL 2023. Yet when Quetta announced their retained names ahead of the PSL 11 auction, Roy was not on the list.
That retention list told its own story. Quetta chose to keep players such as Rilee Rossouw, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Saud Shakeel, Akeal Hosein and Mohammad Wasim Jnr, leaving Roy out before the new auction cycle. The omission stood out because Roy had been one of the franchise’s best-known overseas faces, so his reaction was always likely to draw attention once he returned to the league with another side.
Karachi Kings then brought Roy in as a replacement for Muhammad Waseem during PSL 2026, giving the former Quetta opener an immediate route back into the tournament. ESPNcricinfo noted that Roy arrived with deep PSL experience from spells with both Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators, and he quickly found himself in the spotlight against his old team.
There is a bit of edge to the story, too. Roy’s remarks, as reported by ARY, were measured rather than bitter. He did not turn the episode into a public feud. But the fact that he admitted surprise at not being retained makes the snub feel real, not invented by headline writers. And when a player with that kind of history says he did not see it coming, it naturally adds extra drama to an already intense PSL season.
For Quetta, the decision may simply have been part of a broader squad reset under the league’s new auction-based structure. For Roy, though, the move has become a chance to rewrite the script with Karachi Kings. His early appearances for Karachi, including the knockout blow against Quetta in Lahore, have only sharpened that narrative.
