Jonny Bairstow turns 31: A look at his IPL records
England opener Jonny Bairstow turned 31 on Saturday. Bairstow, who represents Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, has earned a stature of an established top order batsman. In Sunrisers Hyderabad's opening game of the ongoing IPL season, he emerged as the lone warrior (61) as they fell 10 runs short. On his birthday, we take a look at his interesting IPL records.
Bairstow has been SRH's prized possession
Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired Bairstow for Rs. 2.2 crore at the IPL 2019 auction. During the season, he formed a considerable opening pair with his Australian counterpart David Warner. The duo went on to record the highest opening stand (185) in the IPL history, during a game against RCB. Meanwhile, Bairstow finished the season with 445 runs at an incredible average of 55.62
Bairstow's record versus KKR
Bairstow would want to make the most of his form in the upcoming game against Kolkata Knight Riders. Although he has played only a single season, he left his mark in the two games against KKR in 2019. He scores in the two games read as - 39 (35) and 80* (43). In total, Bairstow has aggregated 119 runs against them in the IPL.
Bairstow's record against KKR spinners
Interestingly, none of the current KKR bowlers have dismissed Bairstow in the IPL. He has scored 18 runs off 15 balls against veteran spinner Sunil Narine, while his compatriot Kuldeep Yadav has conceded four runs against Bairstow.
IPL: Bairstow vs Narine
Will Bairstow fire against KKR?
Presently, Bairstow owns the highest batting average (56.22) in the tournament. In fact, he is the only player to have an IPL average of over 50. It will be interesting to see how England's wicket-keeper fares against KKR in the impending game. Notably, KKR's pace attack also boasts Pat Cummins, who bowled to Bairstow in the recently concluded English summer.
