3 English Batters to watch for this season
The English players have a massive impact on the Indian Premier League, and this season is no different. Known for the rock-solid capabilities they bring to the team, they have it all, from power-hitting to deadly Yorkers. In this IPL 2022 mega auction, 18 England players were auctioned off, with 11 receiving contracts.
Jonny Bairstow in top form in IPL
The Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) was informed before the IPL 2022 mega auction that English players would be available for the entire season this year. IPL clubs have recruited players from England since many are white-ball specialists. While all the players sold are exceptional, let's look at three players from whom we can expect the most this season.
Jos Buttler
One of the best openers in the world is the most consistent player of this Indian Premier League season. He dons an orange cap right now as he has already scored two half-centuries and one century in just five matches of the season.
Jos Buttler's average this year is 68, which is unbelievable and shows that he's in peak form. Also, his strike rate is 152.8, which is impressive.
Rajasthan Royals has enormous expectations as he delivers for them every season. Because of his form, the franchise looks unstoppable, and it won't be a surprise if he ends as the highest scorer of the season.
Liam Livingston
In this year's auction, Liam Livingstone became not just the highest-paid English player but also the costliest abroad purchase. The 28-year-old hard-hitting player had entered the auction with a starting bid of Rs 1 crore, but he bagged 11.50 crore from Punjab Kings.
The right-hander can bowl both off-spin and leg-spin and holds the record for England's fastest T20I century (42 balls). Liam Livingstone has a solid T20 record, and his reputation as a sharp batsman has increased in recent years.
As of now, he has played five games for Punjab Kings and scored 164 runs with an average of 32.8 with an unbelievable strike rate of 186.36, which makes this player special. His performance with the ball has been exceptional too. He is one of the most consistent players for the franchise, and we could expect a similar knock from him in upcoming matches.
In Punjab King's middle-order this time, Liam Livingstone is batting alongside big hitters like Jonny Bairstow and Shah Rukh Khan and has proved his talent so far.
Jonny Bairstow
England wicketkeeper batter Jonny Bairstow got sold to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 6.75 crores in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction.
For Bairstow, a bidding war took place between PBKS and Sunrisers Hyderabad and in the end, the wicketkeeper went to Punjab.
Bairstow has played two matches so far in this IPL and hasn't looked in touch yet, but it makes sense as he's not opening from the franchise, unlike previous seasons when he used to open alongside David Warner.
However, it's well known that he's a power hitter and has shown the same in preceding years. He will surely deliver for the team if given enough chance, leaving no stone unturned.