According to a source, prolific England hitter Jonny Bairstow will miss the whole IPL this year because his cricket board declined to grant him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to compete in the high-profile T20 tournament, which begins on March 31. Bairstow, 33, is recovering from a leg injury suffered in September of last year.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cleared all-rounder Liam Livingstone to play in the IPL after he recovered from knee and ankle ailments. During the IPL auction, Punjab Kings paid Rs 11.50 crores for Livingstone and Rs 6.75 crores for Bairstow, respectively.
“The Punjab Kings have some bittersweet news as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cleared Liam Livingstone for participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) but has barred Jonny Bairstow from participating,”
“Due to his lengthy injury layoff, the ECB has decided not to issue him (Bairstow) the NOC for the season, which begins on March 31.” Bairstow was injured in a freak incident on the golf course in September 2022 and missed England’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign as well as Test visits to Pakistan and New Zealand.
According to the story, Bairstow, who had surgery on his broken leg and dislocated ankle in October, is anticipated to be back on his feet in a couple of weeks.
Livingstone, 29, also had a stop-start season in 2022 after injuring his ankle during the Hundred event in the United Kingdom. Injuries have kept him out of play since the Rawalpindi Test in December.
He recently participated in off-season training for Lancashire County Cricket Club in Dubai.According to the report, Sam Curran, the most expensive purchase in the IPL auction earlier this year, will be available for Punjab Kings, who paid Rs 18.50 crore for the fast bowling all-rounder.
