Former India player Aakash Chopra has said that star batter Jonny Bairstow would want to prove his worth in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) as well. He stated that PBKS didn’t
retain or buy him despite a match-winning contribution last season, with no other team acquiring him at the auction either as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ Aakash Chopra said, “Rohit Sharma is coming after scoring runs. Who will ask now about the two lives he got? Luck might be in your favor, but you need to bat well after that, which he did. Jonny Bairstow has just fitted in seamlessly. He went and started hitting fours and sixes. He was the aggressor in the opening partnership.”

“This is the phone moment for Jonny Bairstow as well, just like Sam Curran did. He used to be in your team, but you didn’t think about him, although he scored a hundred in a 262-run chase against KKR last year. However, you people didn’t keep him, and then no one kept him. So he has a point to prove. Rohit just wants to win one more trophy,” he further added.

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However, Aakash Chopra also added that Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya bring a youthful and fearless approach at the top of the batting order for PBKS.

“Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya – they are young, fearless, and carefree. Last time, Priyansh Arya scored 62 runs against this team as well. Another good stat is that they win whenever either of the two scores 45 or more. They didn’t score in the last match, so the team lost,” he said.

“When Punjab played against Mumbai, one of them scored, so the team won. It’s absolutely black and white. So one of the two needs to play well. Prabhsimran Singh has tapered off more. Priyansh Arya got out early in the last match, but scored 62 runs in the game before that. Experience is less, but they have a lot of potential,” he concluded.