Liam Livingstone ruled out of Punjab Kings' IPL 2023 opener on April 1
Punjab Kings will miss the services of Liam Livingstone for their season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday (April 1) in Mohali. However, the hard-hitting all-rounder will be available for their next game against Rajasthan Royals on April 5 in Guwahati.
Livingstone hasn't played competitive cricket since recovering from a knee injury suffered ahead of his Test debut against Pakistan in December. He returned home from that tour to recover from his injury.
The 29-year-old's last game in any format was the T20 World Cup 2022 final against Pakistan, where he stayed unbeaten on a single and saw Ben Stokes hit the winning runs.
Speaking to PTI, an IPL source said about the England all-rounder:
"He is out of the first game at least as the ECB is conducting scans to determine his fitness status. He should be available from the second game onwards."
The Kings shelled out a whopping INR 11.50 crore for the Englishman in the auction ahead of the 2022 edition.
He lived up to that hefty price tag, amassing 437 runs in 14 games at 36.42 with four fifties and striking at 182.08. His all-round abilities make him a key part of the franchise. Despite Livingstone's exploits, the Kings couldn't reach the playoffs, though.
"Hopefully I'll be back around the IPL time" - Liam Livingstone
Two months ago, the Lancashire all-rounder reflected on how the ankle injury interrupted him at a crucial juncture of The Hundred, forcing him to pull out. So, he hopes to be fit for IPL 2023. As quoted by Sky Sports, he said:
"I am recovering from a knee injury from that one and was carrying an ankle problem during the World Cup. I was incredibly disappointing to have got injured at the time, especially when it's the crunch time of a tournament. It's going to be a long few weeks building up from rehab, and hopefully I'll be back around the IPL time, so I can get back into the swing of things."
The spin-bowling all-rounder posted a video on his social media where he is seen batting in the nets on a Lancashire pre-season tour.
Apart from Livingstone, Punjab will also miss Kagiso Rabada, who will join the franchise on April 3 due to his international commitments.