PBKS vs CSK | Star performer of the match: Liam Livingstone

Source: Twitter

The arrival of England’s aggressive batsman, Liam Livingstone to the crease With Punjab Kings at 14 for 2 in the second over put paid to Chennai Super Kings’ hopes of containing the opposition batsmen on Sunday evening.

Livingstone put everything to ball, making the most of the fielding restrictions in the Power Play overs to take PBKS to 72 for two after six overs. So dominating was Livingstone that his left-handed partner and opener Shikhar Dhawan was happy to watch from the other end and give the right-handed Englishman a majority of the strike.

The 28-year-old Englishman has the reputation of hitting big and in quick time. He showed plenty of this characteristic during the 43-ball 103 for England against Pakistan in a T20 International last July at Trent Bridge.

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On Sunday at Brabourne Stadium, he went berserk right from the word go. He went into the match with a T20 career strike rate of 144.07. Anything that he hit went over the boundary. Even the odd mishit flew high and over the boundary.

He was particularly severe on Mukesh Choudhary, the young inexperienced left-arm medium-pacer. Choudhary lost all his confidence when he was hit for 24 runs including two sixes and three fours in his third over, one of the sixes travelling 108m.

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Livingstone dominated the second-wicket partnership of 95 runs with Dhawan, his contribution being 55 from 29 deliveries.

Playing in only his 12^th IPL match and third for PBKS after having been in the Rajasthan Royals squad for 2019 and 2021 IPL, Livingstone scored his maiden IPL fifty. Before reaching there, he was lucky twice on 45. He was dropped at short third man by Ambati Rayudu off Ravindra Jadeja in the seventh over of the innings. In the next, off Dwaine Pretorius, he flicked one down the leg-side, which Dhoni could not collect cleanly.

However, Livingstone’s first significant knock in his IPL career ended with a sliced shot straight to short third man, Rayudu not making any mistake this time.

Livingstone was not finished with the bat alone. With his mix of off-breaks and leg-breaks, he took two wickets in two overs, those of Shivam Dube and Dwayne Bravo off successive deliveries in the 15^th over, the catch to remove the latter was a spectacular diving effort off his own bowling. As if it was to be Livingstone’s day, the Englishman hit the final nail on the CSK coffin, the take the catch at long-on to signal CSK’s end.

Liam Livingstone was the deserved man of the match for his 60, two for 25 in 3 overs and two catches including one off his own bowling as he starred in PBKS' 54-run victory.