IPL 2022: Jonny Bairstow arrives at Punjab Kings camp ahead of clash against KKR

In what can be called a major boost for Punjab Kings, Jonny Bairstow has joined the camp ahead of the side’s encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday (April 1). The England wicketkeeper-batter, however, is likely to give that fixture a miss owing to the bio-secure bubble protocols. Nonetheless, Bairstow would surely be available from the side’s third fixture onwards.

For the unversed, Bairstow wasn’t available right from the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 amid national duties. He was serving England in the recently-concluded three-match Test series against West Indies, wherein the Three Lions lost 0-1. Nonetheless, PBKS will now be able to avail Bairstow’s services and the team management would be thrilled. Meanwhile, PBKS’ official social media handles confirmed Bairstow’s arrival at the camp.

Jonny Bairstow bagged INR 6.75 crore in the mega auction

Notably, the right-handed batter will join forces with skipper Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan to form the top three of the PBKS line-up. He will also take over the wicketkeeping duties from Bhanuka Rajapaksa once he is ready to take the field. Meanwhile, PBKS splashed INR 6.75 crore to get the England batter on board in the mega auction.

The 32-year-old is expected to be a vital cog of the PBKS batting line-up as he has been a force to reckon with in white-ball cricket. Bairstow can attack bowlers from the outset and his ability to play big knocks makes him even more effective. Moreover, the veteran can play anywhere in the batting order and is well-versed with the drill of the IPL.

Having served Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last three seasons, the batter scored 1038 runs in just IPL 28 games with his average and strike rate being over 40 and 140, respectively. He even has an IPL hundred under his belt. Hence, expectations are pretty high from him. Meanwhile, PBKS have made a winning start to their IPL 2022 campaign, defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in their opening fixture.