England batter Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. Australia star player Matthew Short will replace injured Bairstow, Punjab Kings announced on Saturday.
"We regret to inform you that Jonny Bairstow will not be a part of the IPL this season because of his injury. We wish him the best and look forward
to seeing him next season. We are pleased to welcome Matthew Short as his replacement," Punjab Kings tweeted.
Bairstow was involved in an accident on a golf course in September after which he suffered multiple fractures, a dislocated ankle, and a ligament damage. He underwent surgery on his left leg and since then, has made significant progress.
Bairstow has played 39 matches in his IPL career so far amassing 1291 runs at an average of 35.86 and a strike rate of 142.65 with one century and 9 fifties to his name. The last season was a decent one for the cricketer as well scoring 253 runs at a strike rate of 144.57 with two scores of more than 50.
On the other hand, this will be Short's maiden experience at the IPL. The Aussie was named as the Player of the Tournament at the recent edition of the Big Bash League. He opened for Adelaide Strikers in the BBL. Moreover, he scored 458 runs at an average of 35.23 with a strike rate of 144.47 and was the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament. Short is an all-format player and has scored three centuries across first-class and List A matches.
Punjab Kings will be starting their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 1 in Mohali. The team couldn't make it to the playoffs and this time around, they will be hoping to go one step further at least.
