According to a source, prolific England hitter Jonny Bairstow will miss the whole IPL this year because his cricket board declined to issue him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to compete in the high-profile T20 tournament, which begins on March 31. Bairstow, 33, is recuperating from a leg injury suffered in September of last year. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has approved all-rounder Liam Livingstone to play in the IPL after he recovered from knee and ankle ailments. At the IPL auction, Punjab Kings paid Rs 11.50 crores for Livingstone and Rs 6.75 crores for Bairstow, 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 said on Thursday.
“…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 missed England’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign and Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand after sustaining multiple fractures following a freak slip on the golf course in September 2022.
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