IPL 2019: 3 teams that should eye Jonny Bairstow in the auction

IPL 2019 is expected to be different from other editions due to multiple reasons like India may not host it and the tournament may begin earlier than usual. The auction is going to be held in Jaipur on the 18th of this month, in which many players, including the flamboyant England opener, Jonny Bairstow will go under the hammer. The 29-year-old has been in fine touch recently, hitting the bowlers mercilessly all around the ground.

He scored some memorable runs in the ODIs versus Australia in June earlier this year at a strike-rate exceeding 130, that is pretty good even by T20 standards, and is expected to do the same in IPL. The opening batsman’s flamboyance makes him one of the favourites in getting some big bucks while under the hammer. Here we take a look at the top three teams that should pick Jonny Bairstow to strengthen their squads:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders has been one of the more successful teams in the IPL, with two tournament wins out of eleven. The Shah Rukh Khan co-owned team has been lacking a proper opening pair for a couple of seasons in a row now. In 2017, after Chris Lynn injured himself, they gambled with Sunil Narine as their opener, and in 2018, after Gautam Gambhir was gone, they were forced to do the same again.

Thankfully for the Knights, it didn’t backfire as much as people would have thought, but there was always that risk factor involved, that Jonny Bairstow’s inclusion in the squad could say goodbye to. Looking at KKR’s budget going into the auction and their team composition, it is clear that Bairstow’s addition to the team is only capable of doing good to the franchise.

One can only imagine the magnitude of destruction if Bairstow and Lynn open together and both click. Although the two-time champions already have two wicketkeepers, Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa, in the squad, Bairstow can come in and keep wickets as well.

2. Kings XI Punjab 

Kings XI Punjab has been one of those teams that show promise every season, but fail to convert for themselves when it matters the most. The Kings got off to a great start last season when they won five of their first six matches, but after that, things went downhill and the Preity Zinta co-owned team eventually crashed out of the tournament.

The mighty Jamaican, Chris Gayle, was in fine touch for them and played a key role in their success, whatsoever it was.  Others, barring to some extent Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul, played well in one match but flopped in the next. If the one-time runners-up grab Jonny Bairstow in the auction, a couple of weeks from now, they will get a longterm overseas batsman in him, as you never know how much more cricket is still left in Gayle.

Since they have a few openers in the squad already, Bairstow is pretty flexible with his batting position and can fit in the middle or lower order as well. Thus, the Kings should definitely consider going for the English opener.

1. Rajasthan Royals 

The winners of the very first season of the IPL, haven’t quite lived up to the expectations that were attached to them after their historic triumph in 2008. The Jaipur-based franchise lacked stability and consistency in their batting in the last season of the league.

The openers fired occasionally and so did the middle-order, which cost them dearly their second IPL title. Looking at the squad they have, it looks pretty likely for them to do well almost every time. From the likes of calm and composed figures as that of Ajinkya Rahane to more brutal ones like those of D’Arcy Short and Jos Buttler, the Royals seem to have just the perfect blend of calm and aggression, but last season suggested, they need a more dependable batsman or two to achieve success.

If Jonny Bairstow comes in, they get the option of opening with him and his England teammate, Jos Buttler, with Rahane coming in at three, or maybe Rahane and Buttler opening and Bairstow at three, as he has batted in various positions for England with considerable success.

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