IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals' Liam Livingstone flies back to England due to bubble fatigue

Rajasthan Royals (RR) are missing two of their best players Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. While Stokes injured his finger in their first game, Archer underwent surgery and is still uncertain to feature in this edition. The franchise has been rocked with yet another blow as another England player, Liam Livingstone has flown back home due to bubble fatigue.

Several experts have time and again said that life in the bubble could be tough on the players. Moreover, it takes a toll on the cricketers who are on the bench for most parts of it. The same has happened with Liam Livingstone it seems as he has been part of various bubbles for a long time now.

He also made it to England’s limited-overs squad only to not get much of a chance. Having said that, he made his ODI debut during the three-match series against India last month. He scored 63 runs in the series while also picking a wicket during the two ODIs he played.

We understand and respect his decision, say Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals revealed the news on their official Twitter handle on Tuesday night stating that Liam Livingstone flew back home on April 19 after their game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The franchise stated that they respect his decision and continue to support him during these tough times.

“Liam Livingstone has flown back home late last night, due to bubble fatigue accumulated over the past year. We understand and respect his decision, and will continue supporting him in any way we can,” the tweet from the Royals read.

Liam Livingstone has flown back home late last night, due to bubble fatigue accumulated over the past year. We understand and respect his decision, and will continue supporting him in any way we can.#RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/stYywf3tBW

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 20, 2021

The Royals had secured Livingstone’s services during the auction earlier this year for his base price of Rs 75 lakh. He didn’t play in any of the three matches for the Sanju Samson-led side. The Royals are in trouble with a sudden shortage of overseas players in their squad. While they are still awaiting an update on Archer, Stokes’ replacement hasn’t been named yet. They will also have to replace Livingstone with some other player now.