IPL 2020 News: Liam Livingstone to skip IPL in favour of County Championship as he seeks England recall

England batsman Liam Livingstone has decided to give the 2020 edition of the IPL a pass in order to return to the County circuit and bolster his credentials in the longest format of the game.

Livingstone was signed by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 50 lakh in the 2019 auctions and played four matches for the franchise, scoring 71 runs.

However, he was recently released by the Rajasthan Royals and has now withdrawn his name from the upcoming IPL auctions.

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The Lancashire batsman revealed that although he enjoyed his stint with the Royals last season, he is keen on improving his red-ball game in a bid to earn a call-up to the England side.

"It was a fantastic experience to play for the Rajasthan Royals last year. I loved every second, learned a lot, the boys were great and I was delighted to play my part. However, I'm going to have an increased focus on red-ball cricket next summer, so the decision was made to stay in England for this.

"I loved the experience of playing in the IPL, but I have decided to put a renewed focus on first-class cricket next summer. I am committed to improving my game in all formats and I still have hopes of playing Test cricket; the best way to achieve that is by impressing in Division One."

Livingstone had an impressive 2019 first-class season, amassing 599 runs at an average of 46.07. He will be hoping to build on that in 2020 as he seeks a return to the England side for the first time since 2017.

Although the 26-year-old is set to miss the IPL, he is still slated to take part in other T20 leagues around the world, including the Big Bash League and the Pakistan Super League.