Why is Jonny Bairstow not playing today’s SRH vs PBKS IPL 2024 match?

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be without one of their star batters Jonny Bairstow for today's IPL 2024 match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is hosting the penultimate league match of the season.

SRH have already reached the playoffs and are currently placed third in the points table with 15 points from 13 games. A win today will boost their chances of securing the second spot in the table. It has been a contrasting story for their opponents, PBKS, who are out of the race and are reeling at the ninth position in the points table.

Their hopes of finishing the season on a positive note have taken a hit, as they are without several overseas players for the fixture. Sam Curran, who led the side in eight games in IPL 2024 in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, is also unavailable for selection. PBKS will also miss their opener, Jonny Bairstow as he returned to England along with Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone earlier this week for national duty.

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"We have less overseas options today"- PBSK stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma ahead of the match vs SRH in IPL 2024

Punjab Kings' stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest. Speaking to the host broadcast presenter, Sharma said:

"We will bat first because the wicket is looking good, we want to put runs on the board and put pressure on the other team. We have less overseas options today, only Rilee Rossouw is available, but our Indian options are great! We will go out there and express ourselves, but, will not take anything lightly. Happy to get this opportunity to lead the side too!"

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PBKS playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Shivam Singh, Jitesh Sharma (c & wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, and Rahul Chahar.

Impact subs: Arshdeep Singh, Tanay Thayagrajan, Prince Choudhary, Vidwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Singh.

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SRH XI: Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and T Natarajan.

Impact subs: Travis Head, Umran Malik, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Jaydev Unadkat.