England all-rounder Liam Livingstone to miss Punjab Kings' first game in IPL 2023

Mar 30, 2023

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone to miss Punjab Kings' first game in IPL 2023 Image

The Punjab Kings will be without England all-rounder Liam Livingstone in their first IPL 2023 match.

On April 1, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side will open their season at home against the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, Livingstone will be unable to make it to Mohali in time for the game.

An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) official confirmed to Cricbuzz that the 29-year-old cricketer, who was on an off-season tour to Dubai, will arrive in India next week, likely before their second game against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on April 5.

Livingstone shared a photo of his practise session at Manchester's Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Livingstone, who is an important member of the Kings squad because of his all-round abilities, has not played competitive cricket since injuring his knee on his Test debut in Pakistan.

His absence will compound the problems for coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Shikhar Dhawan, who are already without wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow, who has been ruled out for the season, and Kagiso Rabada, who will arrive in India on April 3 due to international commitments.