England's Jonny Bairstow will miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) to continue his recovery from injury. Bairstow had surgery on a broken left leg and dislocated ankle after slipping on a tee box while playing golf in September and has not played since. The 33-year-old right-hander was due to play for Punjab Kings in the IPL, with the tournament starting on 31 March. He has said he will be fit to play in this summer's Ashes series against Australia, which starts in June. "Unfortunately Jonny Bairstow won't be with us this campaign - his injury hasn't recovered in time," said Punjab Kings coach Trevor Bayliss. "We wish him a speedy recovery, it's a shame not to have a player of his standing."

Yorkshire play six games in the County Championship and four in the Vitality Blast before England's summer begins with a four-day Test against Ireland at Lord's on 1 June. Yorkshire's director of cricket Darren Gough said at the county's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday that Bairstow hoped to be available for two Championship games in May. He has been batting in the nets and recently returned to jogging.

The five-Test Ashes series against Australia starts on 16 June at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Speaking to ITV at the Cheltenham Festival on 15 March, Bairstow said: "I'm really happy with my rehab. I'm running, batting in the nets and it's going as well as it can be and although we haven't got a return date set, I'll be back for the Ashes, absolutely."

Bairstow had been in brilliant form in 2022, scoring 1,061 runs and six centuries in 10 Tests, but the injury ruled him out of the final Test of the summer against South Africa, England's T20 World Cup triumph in Australia and their Test series win in Pakistan and draw in New Zealand over the winter. Bairstow's replacement in the Test team, Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook, has enjoyed a superb start, scoring 809 runs in his first six Tests, including four centuries. However, England head coach Brendon McCullum has said there is "no doubt" Bairstow will return to the team when fully fit. He has played 39 games in the IPL and scored 1,291 runs at an average of 35.86. He made 253 runs in 11 matches in his first campaign with Punjab Kings in 2022 after spending three years with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP