'Was nice to finally get the monkey off my back' - Liam Livingstone on his IPL 2022 heroics

The English all-rounder Liam Livingstone said that it felt nice to turn things around in the Indian Premier League 2022 season after poor displays in the previous two editions. He also mentioned that his IPL performances have boosted his confidence for the next year’s ODI World Cup in India.

The 28-year-old batter emerged as the most expensive overseas player in the mega auction in February, getting INR 11.50 crore from Punjab Kings. He repaid the faith by scoring 437 runs in 14 matches with an average of 36.42 and a strike rate of 182.08 in IPL 2022. Livingstone had scored only 112 runs in nine matches from the previous two editions (combined) and his remarkable comeback has earned him a regular spot in England’s white-ball team.

“I don’t think it could have gone any worse [than previous years] to be honest. There was only one way and that was up. I hadn’t really had too much opportunity before but there’s always people who say certain things. It’s the biggest tournament in the world, so it was nice to be able to do well,” Livingstone said after training on Tuesday, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Liam Livingstone targets the 2023 World Cup in India

Livingstone has had an average Vitality Blast 2022 season, compared to his IPL outings, but the player returned to form by smashing a 22-ball 66 against the Netherlands in the first ODI match. In the second match, he managed to score only four runs but contributed with the ball by taking a wicket in his economical five-over spell. The player has been a regular part of England’s T20I setup but had played only three ODI matches before the ongoing Netherlands tour. He featured in two ODI fixtures in Pune against India last year and now is looking to count on his IPL 2022 experience for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

“It was nice to have a clear role. We go away and play in the IPL so that we can become accustomed to their conditions and that ultimately will help England in a World Cup next year. Any experience you get around the world with World Cups coming up is a great thing to have so I really enjoyed it. It was nice to finally get the monkey off my back about not being able to do it in the IPL,” Livingstone added.