Kyle Jamieson Opens Up On His Absence from IPL Auction, Says Was A Difficult Decision

New Delhi: New Zealand all-rounder Kyle Jamieson said that skipping the Indian Premier League (IPL) this time was a difficult decision for him but he had to take a call keeping in mind the fact that he is still pretty young at the international level and would like to work on his game during this period with the prospect of a very long season ahead for the Kiwis.

"Yeah, look, there were a couple of things for me Firstly, after the last 12 months, it's had its challenges with MIQs (managed isolation and quarantine) and bubbles and spending a fair amount of time in that sort of set-up. It was important for me, when I look at the schedule coming up over the next 12 months to try and find six weeks or eight weeks where I can spend some time at home," Jamieson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

"The second thing for me was, reflecting over the last 12-24 months and understanding that I'm very young in my (international) career and only two years in, that I wanted to have time to work on my game. I guess I didn't really feel like I was where I wanted to be and if I want to compete for spots in the New Zealand sides moving forward across all three formats, I actually need to spend time working on my game and not just trying to play the whole time. Yeah, for me it was just about time at home and just time to work on my game," added Jamieson, who debuted for New Zealand in international cricket in 2020.

Talking about the decision, Jamieson said, "I guess it was (a difficult decision) initially. I sat with it for a fair while, and it was kind of lucky I had a couple of months in bubbles to sit in my room and have a think, but once I'd made the decision, it was a bit of a weight off my shoulder in a way, in terms of just focusing on myself and trying to get better."

"I'm still pretty young, I still think I'm young at 27 and I've still got a few years ahead, so this is just for this year and looking at what the next 12 months will look like, and hopefully moving forward there will be more opportunities to try and dip my toes into that environment," he added.