Livingstone to miss Punjab Kings IPL opener

England power-hitter Liam Livingstone will miss Punjab Rulers' initial round of IPL 2023 as he is yet to get a wellness freedom from the ECB in the wake of recuperating from a knee injury he experienced in December. Rulers open their IPL crusade against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali on April 1. Livingstone, who is a critical individual from the Lords crew for his overall capacities, has not played serious cricket since getting the knee injury on his Test debut in Pakistan. He had additionally experienced a lower leg injury during the Hundred contest at home a year ago. "He is out of the main game as the ECB is leading sweeps to decide his wellness status," an IPL source told PTI. "He ought to be accessible from the second game onwards." Lords' subsequent game is against Rajasthan Royals on April 5 in Guwahati. Having spent close to seven days in Dubai on Lancashire's pre-season visit, Livingstone was at Old Trafford on Wednesday and, surprisingly, posted a video via virtual entertainment where he is seen batting in the indoor nets. Last year, Livingstone had a noteworthy IPL season as he amassed 437 runs in 14 games at a normal of 36.41 and a strike pace of 182.08. He had likewise gotten six wickets with his combination of offbreaks and legbreaks in 2022, when Rulers completed 6th for the fourth season in succession. With Jonny Bairstow likewise governed out of the competition, this leaves Sam Curran, the most generously compensated player in IPL history, as the main Britain player to have joined the Lords crew. Other than Livingstone, Rulers will likewise miss Kagiso Rabada in their initial game due to public obligations. Rabada is supposed to arrive at India on April 3, two days in front of the away game against Royals.