Punjab Kings have been dealt a major blow as star opener Jonny Bairstow will not take part in this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League season. He suffered an injury while playing golf last year and did not feature for England since then.
He was bought by the Punjab Kings franchise for Rs 6.25 Crore in the 2022 edition of IPL. He would not play this year’s tournament as he is eyeing to recover for the Ashes to be played in June this year. Bairstow was injured while playing golf in September 2022.
Bairstow missed major tournaments including ICC T20 World Cup 2022 played in Australia. His absence was not felt as England won the title for the 2nd time under the captaincy of Jos Buttler. He also did not tour Pakistan for 7 T20Is, or 3 Test matches last year.
It is a major blow for the Punjab Kings franchise for this year’s edition as they will be only overseas short. Jonny Bairstow is an attacking batter that can give flying starts and puts the opponent bowlers under immense pressure with his aggressive style.
Bairstow would be looking to get fit for the prestigious Ashes series to be played in England this year. He played his last game for England against South Africa in the 2nd Test match at Old Trafford, Manchester on August 25-27 2022.
Jonny Bairstow’s performance in IPL 2022
Jonny Bairstow had a disappointing outing for Punjab Kings in the 2022 edition of IPL. He played a total of 11 matches and scored 253 runs with 2 half-centuries to his name including the best score of 66 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
Bairstow will be a big blow for the Punjab Kings franchise this year. They have bought Sam Curran for a whopping 18.5 Crore as an all-rounder, Sikandar Raza for 50 Lakhs, Harpreet Bhatia for 40 Lakhs, Vidwath Kaverappa for 20 Lakhs, Mohit Rathee for 20 Lakhs and Shivam Singh for 20 Lakhs.
Shikhar Dhawan has been named by the Punjab Kings franchise this year. They retained Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhaunka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Arshdeep Singh, Atharva Taide, Harpreet Brar, Baltej, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Raj Bawa.
Punjab Kings will start their journey against Kolkata Knight Riders at PCA Stadium, Mohali on 1st April. They have been placed with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, and Chennai Super Kings.
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