IPL 2021: Trevor Bayliss reveals why Kane Williamson missed the KKR game

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach Trevor Bayliss shared why Kane Williamson was not part of the playing eleven on Sunday against KKR. The coach revealed the team wanted to give Williamson more time to get up to speed.

Kane Williamson was surprisingly left out of the side for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders. The decision to pick Jonny Bairstow ahead of Williamson raised eyebrows, as many felt the Kiwi batsman was better suited to playing in Chennai.

Trevor Bayliss spoke to the media after SRH’s ten-run loss to KKR and explained the team’s decision to bench their former skipper.

“We just felt that Kane needed a little bit of extra time to get match fit and a little bit more time in the nets. He would have played in place of Jonny Bairstow obviously if that had occurred. But we aren’t too perturbed about that, Jonny has been in form recently in white-ball cricket here in India. Kane will obviously come into calculations as the tournament unfolds,” claimed Bayliss.

.@jbairstow21 - Off to a good start in #IPL2021 👏👏#SRHvKKR #OrangeOrNothing #OrangeArmy pic.twitter.com/zX14ce4JY7

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 11, 2021

Despite not being the first choice, Jonny Bairstow had an impressive showing in the season opener. The Englishman came out to bat when the scores were 10/2. He stitched a 92-run partnership with Manish Pandey, scoring 55 from 40 balls.

Jonny Bairstow’s knock gave SRH a fighting chance, but the team ultimately failed to get over the line. His impressive knock means SRH will be left scratching their heads once Kane Williamson returns to full fitness.

Kane Williamson continues to recover from injury

Kane Williamson x #OrangeOrNothing 🧡#OrangeArmy #IPL2021 #SRH pic.twitter.com/cWxlLBAsJL

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 11, 2021

Kane Williamson came out of quarantine just a couple of days before SRH's first game. He last played the New Zealand vs Australia T20I series at the start of March. The Kiwi skipper has been out of action since, as he recovers from a small tear in his left elbow tendon.

The injury caused him to miss New Zealand’s white-ball series against Bangladesh, and SRH will hope they have the dynamic batsman back as soon as possible.

While Jonny Bairstow is a reliable option in the middle order, Kane Williamson gives them stability at No.4. The 30-year-old played 12 games last season, scoring 317 runs at a strike rate of 133.75. His presence allows others to play around him, enabling SRH’s power hitters to attack safely in the knowledge they have a dependable batsman around them.