Liam Livingstone has returned home from the IPL early with a knee injury in order to get the problem “sorted” ahead of the T20 World Cup next month.
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Livingstone has left Punjab Kings a week early, ahead of their final two group stage games, with the franchise already mathematically ruled out of the play-offs. The middle-order batter suffered the injury while fielding against Lucknow Super Giants earlier in the season, but has featured for PBKS in matches since. It’s understood his knee requires a period of rest before England play Pakistan in a T20I series later this month, but is not serious enough to put his participation in the T20 World Cup in danger.
In an Instagram post, Livingstone wrote: “IPL done for another year, had to get my knee sorted for the upcoming World Cup. 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”
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Livingstone has suffered several muscle injuries over the last couple of years, including one which ruled him out of the early stages of last year’s IPL for Punjab Kings. That injury came from jarring his knee in the field while on Test match debut in Pakistan. Livingstone struggled to make an impact in this year’s IPL, playing in seven matches and scoring 111 runs at an average of 22.20 with a high score of 38*.
The rest of England’s T20 World Cup contingent will return home this weekend, missing the knockout stage of the tournament. England’s first T20I against Pakistan will be the following week, on May 22 at Headingley.
