Reports: Liam Livingstone likely to miss Punjab Kings' IPL 2023 opener

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is reportedly set to miss the first game of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). He is yet to receive a fitness clearance from the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after recovering from an injury he sustained in December. PBKS will play two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their opening match at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, in Mohali, on April 1.

According to various reports, Livingstone will not be available for the PBKS’ opening match in the IPL 2023. The 29-year-old did not play any competitive game since suffering a knee injury on his Test debut in Pakistan, in December 2022. Notably, he had also suffered an ankle injury during the Hundred competition last year. Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada will join the PBKS squad on April 3.

Livingstone had a memorable IPL season last year, despite PBKS not making it to the playoffs. The 29-year-old cricketer was the second-highest run-getter for the Kings after Shikhar Dhawan, scoring 437 runs from 14 matches at an average of 36.41. He also scored 50 plus scores during the course of the tournament.

A Plethora of overseas players will most likely arrive late for IPL 2023

Gujarat Titans’ (GT) David Miller will miss the IPL 2023 opening match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which is scheduled to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on March 31. The Proteas batter will join the squad post the ODI series against the Netherlands at home. The series will conclude on April 2. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders will miss Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das in their opening game against PBKS. The duo is part of the Bangladesh squad for the Ireland series, as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to give them a NOC (No objection certificate) to take part in the 2023 IPL season.

Besides them, CSK players Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana will join the squad on April 8. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)  keeper-batter, Quinton de Kock, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, and Heinrich Klaasen will join their respective IPL teams on April 3. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians’ Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis may not miss their first match as they have made their way to India.