Livingstone to miss Punjab Kings' IPL opener

England’s power-hitter Liam Livingstone will miss the opening game for Punjab Kings in the IPL as he is yet to get a fitness clearance from the ECB after recovering from a knee injury he suffered in December.

Kings open their IPL campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders at home on April 1.

Livingstone, who is a key member of the Kings squad for his all-round abilities, has not played competitive cricket since picking up the knee injury on his Test debut in Pakistan in December.

He had also suffered an ankle injury during the Hundred competition at home last year.

“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,” an IPL source told PTI. Kings’ second game will be against Rajasthan Royals on April 5 in Guwahati.

Livingstone on Wednesday posted a video on social media where he is seen batting in the nets. He was in Dubai recently for nearly a week as part of Lancashire’s pre-season tour and was at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Last year, Livingstone had a memorable IPL season as he amassed 437 runs in 14 games at an average of 36.41 and a sensational strike rate of 182.08. He is known for his big-hitting prowess all around the world and has represented England in 12 ODIs and 29 T20Is.

He had also picked up six wickets with his mixture of offbreaks and legbreaks in 2022, when Kings finished sixth for the fourth season in a row.

Sam Curran, the highest paid player in IPL history and the only other England player for Kings after Jonny Bairstow was ruled out, has already joined the Kings squad in Mohali.

Besides Livingstone, the team will also miss Kagiso Rabada in their opening game because of national duties. Rabada is expected to reach India on April 3, two days ahead of the away game against Royals.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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