YORKSHIRE’S hopes of regaining the Specsavers County Championship have been given a boost with the news that Jonny Bairstow will not be playing in the Indian Premier League this spring.

Rather surprisingly, perhaps, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was not one of the six England players bought in the IPL auction at Bangalore.

And he will now be free to play in his county’s opening three Division One games against Hampshire (home and away) and Warwickshire (away) in April – in addition to Yorkshire’s eight group matches in the Royal London One-Day Cup.

While the news may come as something of a disappointment to both Bairstow and England’s director of cricket, Andrew Strauss – who is keen that as many England players as possible experience the short-form game around the world – White Rose supporters will be pleased that one of their team’s most talented cricketers will be free to play four-day cricket.

Some of Bairstow’s England colleagues found themselves in demand during the auction.

Ben Stokes attracted a successful bid from Rising Pune Supergiants of $2.16m, making him the most expensive overseas signing in the history of the IPL.

Eoin Morgan, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, Jason Roy and Chris Woakes were also signed up to play T20 cricket on the subcontinent.

Woakes’s recruitment was particularly good news for Yorkshire supporters.

It means that the talented all-rounder will not be available to play against the White Rose in the four-day match beginning at Edgbaston on April 14.