Jonny Bairstow has decided to stay true to his roots by signing a new three-year deal with Yorkshire County Cricket Club ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. With this deal, Jonny Bairstow retains his place as Yorkshire captain in the County Championship.
However, the England wicketkeeper-batsman may miss the first two months of the County Championship matches to play in the IPL. Bairstow’s central contract with England was due to expire at the end of 2025 and he has not played for them for over a year.
Jonny Bairstow signs new three-year deal with Yorkshire
Despite this, the 36-year-old has opted to continue leading Yorkshire in the longer formats of the game rather than focus solely on T20 cricket. The explosive batsman’s decision highlights that his work is still incomplete in red-ball cricket.
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Well, if Jonny Bairstow is selected in the IPL 2026 auction next month, he will likely miss Yorkshire’s early season matches. The right-handed batsman may not be retained by Mumbai Indians despite two good performances for them in IPL 2025, where he scored 47 and 38 as a late replacement.
Now, the Englishman is now hoping for another shot in the IPL 2026 auction. In his IPL career so far, Bairstow has scored 1674 runs in 52 innings at an average of 34.87 and a strike rate of 146 with the help of two centuries and nine half-centuries.
Gavin Hamilton calls Jonny Bairstow a game-changer for Yorkshire after contract extension
Meanwhile, Yorkshire had a mixed year, finishing seventh in Division One of the County Championship and second in the North Group of the T20 Blast. However, the young Yorkshire team managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Metro Bank Cup.
Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s director of cricket, expressed his delight at Bairstow’s long-term commitment. He praised Bairstow as one of England’s finest batsmen.
“Jonny is one of the best batsmen in the English game, capable of changing games single-handedly and we are very fortunate to have him with us,” Hamilton said.
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Jonny Bairstow has promised to lead Yorkshire with pride for the next three years
Speaking on signing a new deal with Yorkshire, Bairstow said, “I’m delighted to have signed a contract extension and I’m looking forward to playing my part in an extremely exciting period for Yorkshire. Having come through the age groups and spending my entire career here, this was the only real option for me, and I will continue to wear the White Rose with pride for the next three years.”
The star wicketkeeper said, “It was a real honor to lead the team to the Championship this year, and I can’t wait to get back there in 2026. The performances we put in, especially in the second half of the campaign, were very encouraging, and I’m confident we’ve got a group of players who can challenge the best teams over the next few years.”
Bairstow is currently at Headingley for pre-season fitness testing, and he has a busy winter ahead of him. The Englishman already has contracts with MI Emirates for the ILT20 in the UAE and Sunrisers Eastern Cape for the SA20 in South Africa. Now, he is expected to get a deal in the IPL 2026 auction.
