Punjab Kings (PBKS) have suffered a major setback ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, as Jonny Bairstow will miss this season to continue his recovery from a leg injury.
Bairstow underwent surgery on a broken leg and dislocated ankle in October last year after slipping on a tee box while playing golf in September. The 33-year-old right-hander has not played since the incident.
While the IPL 2023 is set to kick off on March 31, Bairstow needs more time to regain complete fitness as he will be fully fit to play in this summer's Ashes series against Australia in June, resulting in the Australian batter Matthew Short replacing the Englishman in PBKS' squad for the IPL 16.
PBKS announced the latest development on Twitter on March 25. The tweet reads: “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.”
Meanwhile, PBKS coach Trevor Bayliss said in a video shared by PBKS on Twitter: “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.”
The coach added, “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.”
Notably, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will kick start their IPL 2023 campaign against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at PCA Stadium, Mohali on April 1.
