Punjab Kings (PBKS) have suffered a big blow right ahead of the Indian Premier (IPL) 2023 as injured Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out of the entire tournament which is set to kick off from March 31. However Shikhar Dhawan-led PBKS have named Australia's star batter Matthew Short as Bairstow's replacement. Bairstow continues to recover from the freak injury which he sustained last year.
“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.” PBKS posted on its Twitter account.
Earlier, reports had claimed that the 33-year-old was still undergoing rehab for the metal plate he had inserted in his left leg, in the aftermath of a freak injury suffered from slipping while playing golf.
“A player of Jonny’s standing in the international gamem it is a shame not to have him. But at the same time we are announcing that Matthew Short, who was the Big Bash player of the season will be joining us for the IPL,” said Kings’ coach Trevor Bayliss.
Bairstow broke his left leg and dislocated his ankle on September 2, days before the third and final Test of England's home series against South Africa.
With England set to lock horns with Australia in the Ashes 2023 later this year, ECB reportedly decided to deny NOC to Bairstow who hasn’t played professional cricket since August. Meanwhile, talking about his replacement Short, he is an 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.
Established in 2008 as the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the franchise has never won a title in the 15 seasons so far. The team’s best came out in the 2014 season when PBKS ended up as runner-up of the season.
Meanwhile, PBKS will start their IPL campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 1.
Punjab Kings full squad for IPL 2023: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Matthew Short, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh.
Punjab Kings Indian Premier League 2023: Full schedule
Match 1: April 1, Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mohali, 3:30 PM IST
Match 2: April 5, Rajasthan Royal;s vs Punjab Kings, Guwahati, 7:30 PM IST
Match 3: April 9, Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Hyderabad, 7:30 PM IST
Match 4: April 13, Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans, Mohali, 7:30 PM IST
Match 5: April 15, Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings, Lucknow, 7:30 PM IST
Match 6: April 20, Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mohali, 3:30 PM IST
Match 7: April 22, Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, Mumbai, 7:30 PM IST
Match 8: April 28, Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants, Mohali, 7:30 PM IST
Match 9: April 30, Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings, Chennai, 3:30 PM IST
Match 10: May 3, Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Mohali, 7:30 PM IST
Match 11: May 8 ,Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, Kolkata, 7:30 PM IST
Match 12: May 13, Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings, Delhi, 7:30 PM IST
Match 13: May 17, Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, Dharamsala, 7:30 PM IST
Match 14: May 19, Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Dharamsala, 7:30 PM IST
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