The batting coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS), Wasim Jaffer stated that speedster Kagiso Rabada is expected to play in next match. However, ther former Indian Batsman also mentioned that there is still no firm information on Liam Livingstone.
Punjab Kings began their campaign on a great note by defeating the Kolkata Knight Riders. And they maintained that momentum against Rajasthan Royals in their second match of the Indian Premier League 2023.
Notably, both Rabada and Livingstone were absent from the starting lineup in both games. But without the absence of two of their prolific player PBKS yet, came away with narrow victories on both occasions.
The addition of the two players will only improve Punjab’s team, as Rabada has already joined the squad. Meanwhile, Livingstone’s selection remains uncertain because he is yet to arrive in India.
Livingstone has not officially joined the PBKS team since the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has not granted him medical clearance. Livingstone suffered an injury while fielding for Pakistan on his Test debut in December 2022.
But now the Englishman has fully recovered and will be back in action for Punjab in the upcoming fixtures.
The 29-year-old is still hoping to play in the current IPL season. When a Twitter user commented on one of Livingstone’s tweets, wondering when followers would be able to see his batting display, the cricketer responded with one word: saying,
“Soon…”
Wasim Jaffer post-match comments
But during the post-match press conference, Jaffer spoke on the availability of their team’s overseas players, as he said:
“Rabada will be available for the next game, but probably not Livingstone, I am not so sure. The manager probably knows it. Rabada probably will be available.”
Rabada has been on national duty during South Africa’s ODI series against the Netherlands. Rabada joined the PBKS squad in India after winning the series. Nathan Ellis joined the PBKS squad as a foreign pacer and was instrumental in the team’s recent triumph over Rajasthan Royals.
Ellis was also named player of the match for his 4/30 performance. However, with Rabada’s return, the PBKS selectors will face a difficult challenge in selecting the best XI, as the Protea player is an important component of PBKS’ roster, but Ellis has made significant contributions to his team’s success. Jaffer explained the selection dilemma ahead of the forthcoming game:
“Team selection is a good headache to have, I mean players in form, playing well. It is good for the franchise, that the players are in form. It is not in my hands, but we would look for players who are in form, doing well. So, I think that is a good thing. Even though Rabada was there, Ellis showed how good he is.”
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