“I’ll miss Jonny’s batting” – Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan ahead of IPL 2023

Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan has stated that the franchise will miss England batter Jonny Bairstow during the upcoming Indian Premier League season (IPL 2023).

The franchise uploaded a special video on Instagram dedicated to the explosive batter in which the teammates and support staff shared their views on Bairstow. It captioned the post:

“Jonny’s Jazba will be missed both on and off the field.”

In the video, skipper Dhawan can be heard saying:

“I’ll miss Jonny’s batting.”

Reacting to the post, Bairstow replied:

“I miss you all too, lads! Thanks very much!”

For the uninitiated, Bairstow has been ruled out of IPL 2023 due to an injury. He sustained a limb injury in October and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

He scored 253 runs in 11 games last season. He hit two fifties and had a strike rate of 144.57. The explosive English batter was retained for ₹6.75 crore ahead of IPL 2023.

PBKS are replacing Bairstow with Mathew Short

Meanwhile, Big Bash League’s (BBL 2022-23) Player of the Tournament, Mathew Short, has been named Bairstow’s replacement for IPL 2023. The 27-year-old was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 458 runs in 14 matches at an average of 35.23, including a hundred and two half-centuries. The all-rounder also took 11 wickets in 14 games.

In a statement, PBKS wrote:

"IMPORTANT UPDATE!! We regret to inform you that our Sher 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 in our colors next season. We are pleased to welcome Matthew Short as his replacement in the squad."

Overall, Short has played 67 T20s, where he has scored 1409 runs and scalped 22 wickets in the format.

Punjab Kings will play their opening game against Nitish Rana-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 1.