England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has given the green-light to Liam Livingstone for participating in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) but has stopped Jonny Bairstow from taking part in the league. The Englishmen are central to the Punjab team who shelled out more than Rs 18 crore to procure their services. The other marquee English player in the Punjab ranks is Sam Curran who cost the franchise nearly as much as his two senior teammates combined.
Bairstow, who underwent surgery on a broken leg and dislocated ankle in October, is expected to regain full fitness in a couple of weeks’ times but given the long lay-off, the ECB has decided against issuing him the NOC for the upcoming IPL season, which kicks off on March 31. The ECB hopes he will be good to go for the Ashes later in the year. Bairstow, who was snapped by Punjab Kings for Rs 6.75 crore in the 2022 auction, has not played competitive cricket since August.
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Prolific England batter Jonny Bairstow will miss the entire IPL this year as his cricket board refused to grant him No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the high-profile T20 league beginning on March 31, according to a report.https://t.co/ZvCI7dntNF— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) March 23, 2023
