Jonny Bairstow. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Jonny Bairstow is a marauder with the bat and has demolished the bowling line-up with his swashbuckling stroke play. He has featured in 95 ODIs and aggregated 3634 runs at a strike rate of 104.12. Coming to the shortest format, the 33-year-old has plundered 1337 runs in 66 T20Is at a strike rate of 136.42.
Bairstow has been phenomenal in the Indian Premier League and knocked the winds out of top-quality bowling line-ups. He has hammered 1291 runs in 39 IPL games at a strike rate of 142.65. He fared well with the bat in the last season too and smashed 253 runs in 11 games for Punjab Kings at a strike rate of 144.57. However, one would not witness Jonny don the Punjab jersey in IPL 2023.
Bairstow has been sidelined from cricket since September due to a freak incident he suffered while playing golf. However, after a prolonged injury layoff, he is expected to be up and running in some weeks. But given England will play The Ashes in June, the ECB has decided against issuing a NOC to the wicketkeeper-batter for the upcoming season of the cash-rich league.
With Bairstow set to miss the 16th IPL edition, the Punjab franchise would need to ponder over his replacement. There are some gun players who might be on the radar of PBKS to fill the England batter’s void.
3. Travis Head
Travis Head has been a proven performer for Australia across formats. He has taken the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and changed the course of the game in the favour of his side. When on song, the Adelaide-born has put even the best of bowlers under the pump and left the world in awe of his performances.
Head has featured in 36 Tests and notched up 2361 runs at an average of 45.40. Talking about the 50-over format, he has accumulated 1912 runs in 54 matches at an average of 40.68. Besides his batting might, the 29-year-old is quite handy with his off-spin.
Moreover, Head has the ability to bat both in the top order and the middle order and thereby provides versatility to the batting line-up. Further, his skills with the ball are an added bonus. Therefore, Punjab Kings could ponder over adding him to their arsenal for the coming season of the cash-rich league.
2. Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka has been a bankable name in the T20 circuit. The 31-year-old has featured in 180 matches in the shortest format and has amassed 3701 runs at an impressive strike rate of 142.07. Further, he has picked up 57 wickets in those outings at an economy of 8.79.
Shanaka has displayed his class in the international arena too as he has tormented bowlers with his stroke play and racked up 1328 runs in 85 T20Is at a strike rate of 121.83. On the bowling front, he has bagged 23 wickets at an economy of 8.04.
Besides his all-round credentials, Shanaka is an astute tactician of the game and has led Sri Lanka to many glorious triumphs in the white-ball circuit. He offers a complete package to any side and therefore, Punjab Kings could acquire his services for the 16th IPL edition.
1. Dawid Malan
Dawid Malan is a prominent figure in the shortest format of the game. He has obliterated bowlers with his marauding bat and stamped his authority on the cricket field. The southpaw has featured in 295 T20 games and aggregated 8011 runs at a strike rate of 129.02.
Malan has also been a consistent performer for England in the limited-overs circuit. He has featured in 58 T20Is and amassed 1810 runs at a strike rate of 134.07. When it comes to the ODIs, the flamboyant batter had scored 769 runs in 18 matches at a superb average of 54.92.
Malan is someone who can act both as an accumulator and a destroyer and thus, his inclusion bolsters a team’s batting line-up. Therefore, Punjab Kings could ponder over signing the England batter for the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League. If Malan is added to the Punjab set-up, the 35-year-old has the potential to make the T20 extravaganza his own and help PBKS propel to the top of the IPL 2023 points table.
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