England’s swashbuckling batter Jonny Bairstow won’t feature in the 2023 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) as his board decided against giving him No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the cash-rich tournament, starting March 31.

Bairstow had sustained a lower limb injury in a freak accident while playing golf in September last year. As a result, he missed the T20 World Cup 2022 and the Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cleared all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who is coming back after recovering from his knee and ankle injuries, to take part in the IPL.

During the IPL 2022 mega-auction, Bairstow and Livingstone were roped in by Punjab Kings for INR 6.75 Crore and INR 11.50 Crore, respectively.

“Punjab Kings have some bittersweet news as England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cleared Liam Livingstone for participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) but has stopped Jonny Bairstow from taking part,” a report in Cricbuzz stated.

“…given the long injury lay-off, the ECB has decided not to issue him (Bairstow) the NOC for the season, which kicks off on March 31.”

Bairstow, 33, is still recovering from the injury for which he underwent surgery last October. He is likely to be up and running in a couple of weeks’ time, according to the report.

Livingstone too had a stop-start season in 2022 after hurting his ankle during the Hundred tournament in the UK. He was last seen in action during the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan in December 2022. The 29-year-old was recently part of the Lancashire County Cricket Club’s off-season training in Dubai.

(With Cricbuzz Inputs)