IPL 2019: Yusuf Pathan has a heart-piercing farewell message for Jonny Bairstow

England batsman Jonny Bairstow’s journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL) might seem a smooth ride to the naked eye, but that isn’t quite the case. Back in the 2016 and 2017 auction of the T20 tournament, he listed himself at a base price of INR 1.50 crores, but unfortunately, Bairstow couldn’t attract any bids and eventually remained unsold despite the incredible numbers.

He has been one of England’s most prolific limited-overs batsmen and the jaw-dropping numbers are a testament to his stupendous potential as a batsman. However, lady luck smiled on him and he was brought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at a price of INR 2.20 crore. The right-handed batsman had a base price of INR 1.50 crores after which the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) also went after him.

A superlative season for Jonny Bairstow

The Yorkshire-born has turned out to be a fulcrum of the Orange Army and he has delivered most of the times at the top of the batting order. He played 445 runs in 10 matches at an average of 55.62 with a strike-rate of 157.24. He also scored his maiden IPL century against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Apart from that, he also churned out a couple of half-centuries against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, he won’t play any more part for the franchise at least for this season as he has gone back home in order to prepare for the World Cup, scheduled to start on May 30 in England and Wales. Prior to that, he’ll also play a few more international games.

In the meantime, Yusuf Pathan, the team’s middle-order bid adieu to the Englishman with a heartfelt message. He took to Twitter and wrote, “We’ll miss you, @jbairstow21 What a player, amazing understanding of the game and hitting. A lovely fellow to have in the team. Have a good World Cup! #srh #orangearmy,”

Here is Pathan’s tweet

We'll miss you, @jbairstow21
What a player, amazing understanding of the game and hitting. A lovely fellow to have in the team. Have a good World Cup! #srh #orangearmy pic.twitter.com/0EdlZm2IK3

— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) April 26, 2019

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