Have some amazing memories with SRH, will be looking to put my best foot forward against them: Jonny Bairstow

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be playing only their second home game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the newly-built Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 9 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Ahead of the clash, Punjab Kings star Jonny Bairstow said that he is hoping to deliver against his former IPL team.

Bairstow spent three seasons at Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2019 to 2021 before being roped in by Punjab Kings at the IPL 2022 auction for INR 6.75 crore. During his time at Sunrisers, the wicketkeeper-batter amassed 1,138 runs from 28 matches. His best IPL season came in 2019 as he scored 445 runs from 10 matches at an average of 55.62 and a strike rate of 157.24. His opening partnership with David Warner at the franchise gave nightmares to many world-class bowlers.

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Bairstow said that he had formed some great memories during his time in Hyderabad and was looking forward to meeting some of his old friends on Tuesday. The experienced campaigner mentioned that he will try to do well against the former champions.

“I have some amazing memories with SunRisers Hyderabad. It was a special time, it was my first time in the IPL with them. So, playing against them is always an opportunity. Times move on and you play for new franchises. I'll be looking to put my best foot forward. I'm with Punjab Kings now but it's always good to see some old friends,” said Bairstow in a video released by PBKS on their 'X' handle.

Jonny Bairstow urges PBKS fans to come to the stadium in numbers

Punjab played their first match at their new home stadium in Mullanpur last month against Delhi Capitals. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side received great support as fans packed the stadium to the rafters. The home team didn't disappoint them as they won by four wickets. Bairstow urged the fans to come to the stadium in numbers and support the team during their match against Hyderabad.

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“We obviously had the first game of the competition for us where we got a win against Delhi. Hopefully, we'll be able to build on that. We then played three away games, we've won two and lost two. We had fantastic support on Game 1. You were brilliant and came out in numbers and we hope to see you in numbers again for our next four games at home. Your support means a lot to us. We'll make sure we try our best for you,” Bairstow added.