Is Liam Livingstone playing today's PBKS vs SRH IPL 2024 match?
Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Liam Livingstone was rested again for their IPL 2024 encounter against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at their home ground, the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Tuesday, April 9.
Sikandar Raza, who made his way into the PBKS’ XI in the previous game replacing Livingstone, maintained his place as the English all-rounder had to sit out.
Livingstone sustained a hamstring injury during the team’s encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and was ruled out for their next clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT). PBKS did not let Livingstone’s absence hamper their game as they clinched a thrilling victory against the IPL 2022 champions.
When asked about the team combination by Murali Karthik, the presenter on the field, PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan revealed that Livingstone had yet to recover and as a result, they were going ahead with an unchanged XI from their previous game.
“He's (Liam Livingstone) still recovering, we're playing the same team,” Dhawan said at the toss.
The Punjab Kings put up a dominant display while chasing in their previous game against GT, and would be hoping to put a break on SRH’s winning streak in the tournament. The Pat Cummins-led side defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their previous IPL 2024 match.
PBKS win the toss, put SRH to bat first
Home captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and elected to field first against SRH. Even though the team is missing the services of one of their star all-rounders, Livingstone, Dhawan was confident of PBKS coming out on top in their upcoming encounter.
“We'll bowl first. The wicket will stay the same, so look to restrict them to a low score. We were lucky to have won the last match, it's good that we're not depending on any one player. We've won two games, looking forward to a good run,” Dhawan said at the toss.
Visiting captain Pat Cummins, upon losing the toss, revealed that they'd been looking to bowl first as well, but with the toss going in PBKS' favor, the team would look to play the way they've been.
"We would have bowled first as well. Overall happy with the way we've been going, two wins and we could have had one more game going our way. We've got good strength and some depth. Same team as the last game," Cummins said at the toss.
Both PBKS and SRH won their previous matches against GT and CSK, respectively. With the top four of the points table looking pretty competitive early in the tournament, the two sides are in for a mouth-watering clash.