Jonny Bairstow will miss the Indian Premier League to ensure he is fully fit to make his England comeback in this year’s Ashes.
The man who did more than anyone to ignite ‘Bazball’ last summer with four centuries in five Tests was forced out of England’s highly successful winter, which included winning the Twenty20 World Cup and defeating Pakistan 3-0 in an historic Test series, when he suffered a badly broken leg in a freak accident slipping while playing golf.
But even though Bairstow has had successful surgery on his left leg and is running again, he has decided, in conjunction with England, to miss out on his £950,000 contract with Punjab Kings in the world’s richest franchise league.