‘Liam’s back, tell your friends’- Punjab Kings share video of English all-rounder’s arrival in IPL 2023

Liam Livingstone. (Photo by Will Russell – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

Liam Livingstone, England star all-arounder, joined the Punjab Kings (PBKS) squad on Tuesday, April 11. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side has won two of the first three matches in the IPL 2023. On Thursday, April 13, they will play the Gujarat Titans (GT), the reigning champions, at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

Livingstone missed the first three games of the Punjab Kings’ since he was recovering from a knee injury that had kept him out of action since December 2022. Notably, after making his Test debut for England against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, he has not played any competitive game. With the return of the dashing England player, Punjab Kings might see a significant boost.

On Wednesday, April 12, PBKS took to Twitter and shared a clip of Livingstone heading to the nets ahead of the clash against GT. “Guess who’s back? Back again! Liam’s back, tell your friends!” PBKS captioned the post with a winking emoji.

Watch the video:

PBKS will take on GT on Thursday in Mohali

PBKS purchased Livingstone at the IPL 2022 mega-auction for a whopping INR 11.50 crore. In the previous edition of the cash-rich league, the 29-year-old all-rounder amassed 437 runs in 14 matches at an astounding strike rate of 182.08, while also achieving a healthy average of 36.42. In his first season with PBKS, he also scored four half-centuries. Aside from his excellent batting performances, Livingstone was also a competent spinner, picking six wickets with an economy of 8.78 last year.

Punjab Kings overcame Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in their first two games before falling to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, April 9 in Hyderabad. The Kings are presently sixth in the IPL 2023 points table, with four points from three matches. When they face the Gujarat Titans on Thursday, PBKS will be hoping to get back on track. Notably, the Hardik Pandya-led side is also coming off a defeat to KKR in a nail-biting encounter on Sunday.