The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is fast approaching even as the players are joining their respective teams. However, England cricketer Jonny Bairstow will not be joining his franchise Punjab Kings in the 2023 season. The cricketer has not played any cricket since August 2022 after injuring his leg following a freak injury while on golf course. He has recovered significantly as well but lack of cricket in the lead up meant that England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reportedly denied him the NOC to play in the cash-rich league.
Bairstow was touted to open the innings with skipper Shikhar Dhawan in the PBKS line-up. But the team will have to look for a replacement for the England cricketer. Prabhsimran Singh has previously opened the innings for the Punjab side but it might be tough for him to play all the matches looking at the team combination. PBKS had secured Bairstow's services for INR 6.5 cr in the mega auction and was one of their top performers scoring 253 runs in 11 at a strike-rate of 144.57. His absence will definitely hurt PBKS in the upcoming season.
3 Players who can replace Jonny Bairstow:
1. Daryl Mitchell
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is one option who can replace Bairstow. PBKS possess fierce hitters in their line-up and Mitchell is kind of an accumulator who can shift gears at will. He performed the role of an opener perfectly in T20 World Cup 2021 helping New Zealand make it to the final. He scored 208 runs in seven innings of the tournament at an average of 34.66 and a brilliant strike-rate of 140.54. Clearly, Mitchell can play the role of aggressor as well if needed with Shikhar Dhawan at the other end. Mitchell had placed himself in the INR 1 crore at the auction but went unsold.
2. Dawid Malan
Not long ago, Dawid Malan was the number 1 ranked T20I batter thanks to his exploits while playing for England. But his stocks fell down quite soon and the cricketer went unsold in the auction as well ahead of the upcoming season. He had kept INR 1.5 crore as his base price but no franchise showed any interest in him. However, Malan is that sort of a cricketer who can hold one end for PBKS who boast of fierce hitters in their squad. He can open the innings with Dhawan as well. Perhaps, Malan has featured for PBKS previously only in one game and scored 26 runs.
3. Travis Head
It is very very surprising that Travis Head has not had a successful IPL career. He is at the peak of his form at the moment opening the innings in ODI cricket and can hit the ball very hard. Head last played in the IPL back in 2017 for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Overall, he has featured in 10 matches scoring only 75 runs with a half-century to his name. However, on current form, the southpaw can certainly hog the limelight in the cash-rich league and make name for himself. Head kept his base price INR 2 crore and his association with Dhawan at the top of the order will be an exciting one to watch out for if he is named Bairstow's replacement.
