In what seemed an inevitable call, the injured England batter Jonny Bairstow has decided to skip the IPL 2023 and focus on his leg recovery to be fit and ready for the Ashes 2023, which will take place soon after the IPL concludes.
This is a big blow for the Punjab Kings, who had been dreaming of having Jonny Bairstow open alongside new skipper Shikhar Dhawan after releasing Mayank Agarwal.
33-year-old Jonny Bairstow last played in August last year when he suffered a freak leg injury on a golf course in early September that saw him miss the T20 World Cup 2022 – which England won despite his absence – and all the action following it.
Bairstow, one of the key members of the England Test team who was the hill of the Bazball revolution last year, suffered multiple fractures, a dislocated ankle and ligament damage from slipping on the golf course.
Jonny Bairstow played for PBKS in IPL 2022
He underwent successful surgery on his left leg – including the insertion of a metal plate – and made great progress, including batting in the nets again. That must have been the promising signs for Punjab Kings, however, according to a report in The Guardian, Bairstow has decided to not hurry and opt out of the IPL 2023, which will run from March 31 to May 18.
England host Ireland for a one-off Test from June 1, before the Ashes 2023 starts on June 16
Punjab would have even been ready to see Bairstow return in the second half of the tournament, but the keeper-batter has decided to play red-ball cricket for Yorkshire to prepare for the home Ashes.
One of the most powerful and clean ball strikers in the world, Jonny Bairstow was picked up by PBKS for INR 6.75 crore in the IPL 2022 auction. In the IPL 2022, batting mostly in the middle-order, Bairstow scored 253 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 144 with a couple of fifties to his name.
Punjab released their last season’s captain Mayank Agarwal, giving opener Shikhar Dhawan the captaincy duties, and would have wanted Bairstow at the top to partner Dhawan.
However, they will now have to find someone else to that since Jonny Bairstow will miss the IPL 2023.
Punjab Kings Final Squad For IPL 2023:
Arshdeep Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (C), Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Rahul Chahar, Liam Livingstone, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Baltej Dhanda, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathe, Shivam Singh
