Punjab Kings head coach Trevor Bayliss will miss Sydney Thunder's Big Bash League match against Adelaide Strikers on Tuesday to attend the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Dubai.
Bayliss also holds the head coach role of the BBL franchise Sydney Thunder but prioritised Punjab Kings' role. Shawn Bradstreet, Bayliss' assistant, will oversee as interim head coach in his absence. Thunder said the head coach will return for the next match against Melbourne Stars.
"Bayliss is due to return for the Thunder's clash against Melbourne Stars in Albury later this week," Thunder said in a statement.
Thunder lost their opening match of the season to Brisbane Heat last week.
Apart from Bayliss, Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettrori also flew to Dubai following the conclusion of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth to take part in the IPL auction on behalf of Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was appointed as SRH head coach earlier this year.
Punjab Kings appointed Bayliss as coach in 2022, but he was unable to break the club's nine-year skid of failing to qualify for the IPL's knockout rounds.
Kings have Rs 29.1 crore to spend in the auction on Tuesday, with room to add eight additional players to their team, two of whom can be overseas signings. "We don't think we need to beef up a lot," Bayliss informed Kings' internal channels.
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"We don't think we need to strengthen up a whole heap. But I suppose the possibility of strengthening in two or three areas we think will make us a stronger team next year… 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," Bayliss told Kings' in-house channels.