Liam Livingstone, the England batter, won’t be collaborating within the opening recreation of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) as he’s nonetheless awaiting a health clearance from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), based on ESPNCricinfo. Livingstone had suffered a knee damage in December final 12 months, and since then, he has not performed any aggressive cricket. He was an integral a part of the PBKS set-up and had carried out exceptionally nicely in IPL 2022, scoring 437 runs in 14 matches with a strike charge of 182.08 and choosing up six wickets along with his spin bowling. However, regardless of his heroics, PBKS completed on the sixth spot for the fourth season in a row.
The madman Liam Livingstone.pic.twitter.com/qAPOzmtSj2
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 26, 2021
Livingstone’s absence will probably be a big blow for PBKS, however they’ve the highest-paid participant in IPL historical past, Sam Curran, who joined the crew after being bought for Rs 18.50 crore on the public sale final 12 months. Curran is the one English participant left within the squad, as Jonny Bairstow has been dominated out of the competitors, and Matthew Short has been named as his substitute. Short was the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the course of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23, representing Adelaide Strikers. He was the second-highest run scorer within the match with 458 runs at a median of 35.23 in 14 matches and took 11 wickets with the perfect bowling figures of three/14.
Apart from Livingstone, South African pacer Kagiso Rabada may even miss the opening recreation of the IPL 2023 due to worldwide cricket commitments. However, he’s anticipated to reach in India on April 3 forward of PBKS’s away match in opposition to Rajasthan Royals.
PBKS will face Kolkata Knight Riders of their IPL marketing campaign opener on the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, on April 1. Livingstone’s absence will probably be felt, however with the likes of Curran and Short within the squad, PBKS will probably be hoping to begin their marketing campaign on a constructive notice and enhance on their efficiency from the final season.
