England’s all-rounder Liam Livingstone who was representing Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 left India to get his knee fixed as the T20 World Cup 2024 is nearing.
Livingstone is named in England’s squad for the upcoming Pakistan series and the World Cup and the all-rounder wants to be in his best fitness as the 2022 World Cup winners will be defending their title.
The 30-year-old has had a history of suffering from muscle injuries and even during the ongoing IPL 2024, he missed two matches after going down on the field during the match against Lucknow Super Giants.
Taking to his Instagram account, Livingstone confirmed that he is leaving IPL in order to get his knee “sorted” before the T20 World Cup.
"IPL done for another year, had to get my knee sorted for the upcoming World Cup," Livingstone wrote on Instagram. "Thanks once again to the Punjab Kings fans for all their love and support. Disappointing season as a team and personally, but as always I loved every minute of playing in the IPL.”
Remember, PBKS have already been eliminated from the tournament as they just managed to accumulate eight points from 12 matches.
As per ESPN Cricinfo, Livingstone’s injury is not serious and with nothing to play for in the IPL, the English all-rounder decided not to play the remaining matches as a safety precaution.
In seven innings played this season, the 30-year-old only scored 111 runs at an underwhelming 22.20 average and strike rate of 142.30 and took three wickets.
It is worth mentioning that English players will start to return to the country in the coming days before the four-match T20I series against Pakistan, which begins on May 22.
"Selected players, currently playing in the Indian Premier League, will return in time for the series against Pakistan, which gets underway at Headingley on Wednesday 22 May 2024," ECB said in their press release earlier.
England squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
- Liam Livingstone