Punjab Kings were dealt a massive blow recently as Jonny Bairstow was denied NOC by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign. The Mohali-based franchise have moved quickly to acquire Matthew Short as Bairstow’s replacement for the IPL 2023 season.
Bairstow had undergone surgery on a broken leg and dislocated ankle in October and the Englishman was expected to return to full fitness in a couple of weeks’ time. However, the 16th edition of IPL which is set to kick start on March 31 came too soon for the swashbuckling batter.
Furthermore, with England set to take on Australia in the Ashes 2023 later this year, ECB reportedly decided to deny NOC to Bairstow who hasn’t played professional cricket since August.
The 33-year-old will be replaced by Short, the all-rounder who plays for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. The Australian is all set to make his debut in IPL 2023. Short has played 67 T20 matches in his career, scoring 1409 runs while he also has 22 wickets under his name.
🚨 IMPORTANT UPDATE 🚨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 (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 25, 2023
The Kings shared an update on their social media handles, thus confirming that indeed Bairstow will not be taking part in IPL 2023.
The Mohali-based franchise also wished Bairstow a speedy recovery and said they would hope to see the English batter next season.
“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," read the franchise’s post.
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“To all the fans of Punjab Kings, I have got some news, unfortunately, Jonny Bairstow won’t be with us this campaign, he hasn’t recovered in time for this IPL, so we wish him a speedy recovery and a player of Jonny’s standing in the international game, it’s a shame not to have him. But at the same time, we’re announcing that Matthew Short, who was the Big Bash Player of the Season in Australia this year will be joining us for IPL 2023," Kings coach Trevor Bayliss said in the video.
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