Kings are set to play against Delhi Capitals in their opener of Indian Premier League 2024. Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of their opener, Punjab batter Liam Livingstone has said that the cricket family is glad to have Rishabh Pant back.
The Delhi Capitals captain has been declared fit by the Board of Control for Cricket in India just ahead of the IPL. Pant is expected to make a comeback against PBKS, but might play as a specialist batter.
Liam Livingstone would be one of the key players for Punjab Kings this season as they look to end their trophy drought in the IPL. Speaking ahead of the game, on Friday, 22 March, Livingstone lent his support to Pant, who has had a tough recovery process in the last one and a half years.
“Firstly I have just seen Rishabh, so it’s obviously nice to see him back. He’s obviously been through a lot over the last 18 months. I’m sure everyone in the cricket family will be happy to see him back and fit and healthy and playing again,” Livingstone said during the pre-match press conference.
NEW STADIUM FOR PBKS
Punjab will not be playing their home games at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali in 2024 season. Instead, PBKS will be playing their matches at the Mullanpur Stadium, which is also situated in the same city. PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan had hoped ahead of the tournament that the new stadium could turn out to be PBKS’ lucky charm.
Livingstone was more practical about playing in the new stadium. Livingstone said that five-six training sessions ahead of their first game could turn out to be the point of difference.
“It’s a new stadium. We’re the lucky ones that have five or six training sessions to get used to the conditions. Things are gonna be a little bit different to what they were at Mohali. There’s not too many different faces. I think that’s a good thing that we did from last year. I thought we did a lot of good things last year and we kept a lot of people the same. So, um yeah, I guess everybody’s just really excited and looking forward to the challenges ahead,” Livingstone said.
Punjab Kings spent nearly Rs 25 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. The money was majorly spent on fast bowler Harshal Patel who they bought for Rs 11.75 crore. PBKS will be looking for a winning start to their tournament.
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