For the IPL 2024 auction, Trevor Bayliss will miss the Sydney Thunder game.

On December 19, Sydney Thunder’s Big Bash League (BBL) matchup versus Adelaide Strikers would be played without head coach Trevor Bayliss. At the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, which is slated to take place in Dubai, he is expected to represent the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

For the same reason, Trevor Bayliss traveled to India during the 2022–2023 BBL. This won’t be the first time he has left the BBL to attend the IPL auction. Other coaches, like Daniel Vettori, have already taken to the skies in Dubai following Australia’s Test triumph over Pakistan at Optus Stadium, where he will assume his role as head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad. While Justin Langer, the new head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants, decided to delay his travels until after the first Test, Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting rescheduled his commentary duties.

During the BBL season of 2021–2022, Bayliss took over as Thunder’s coach, and both seasons the team made it to the playoffs under his direction. The interim head coach will be Shawn Bradstreet, the assistant coach, while he is away.

According to a statement released by the Sydney Thunder and cited by ESPNcricinfo, Trevor Bayliss is expected to make her Thunder debut later this week in Albury against the Melbourne Stars.

With an enormous budget of INR 29.1 crore, the Punjab Kings are prepared for the auction. With the opportunity to sign two foreign players, they will have the flexibility to bolster their roster with eight more players. Sadly, Trevor Bayliss was unable to assist the Kings in getting to the IPL 2023 knockout stages despite the Kings hiring him in 2022. This season was the ninth in which the team failed to qualify for the postseason.

“We don’t believe we need to fortify ourselves much. However, I guess that if we improve in two or three areas, we’ll have a stronger team for next year. Bayliss stated to the Kings’ internal channels, “We want to play a positive, aggressive brand of cricket, so we’re looking for players to come into those two or three spots with that type of mindset.”