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IPL 2021: This Royals batsman is the reason behind Liam Livingstone's brilliant form

England batsman Liam Livingstone is in the form of his life. After scoring a scintillating 42-ball hundred against Pakistan in the T20I series, Livingstone scored 348 runs in 9 games for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred.

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Sam Abraham
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Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone ( Image Credit: Twitter)

England batsman Liam Livingstone is in the form of his life. After scoring a scintillating 42-ball hundred against Pakistan in the T20I series, Livingstone scored 348 runs in 9 games for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred. He also lit up the tournament with 22 boundaries and 27 mammoth sixes. But do you know Livingstone's Rajasthan Royals teammate had a role to play in Livingstone's six-hitting mission? The swashbuckling batter revealed that he hit all those lusty blows with the bat he borrowed from Riyan Parag.

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“He wanted one of my cricket bags and I wanted one of his bats. So, we did a little trade and I’ve been using it in white-ball cricket all summer," the 28-year-old said. “So maybe I owe Riyan for all the sixes that I’ve been hitting over the last couple of months."

Livingstone, who pulled out of the India leg of the IPL, will be available for selection in the UAE. With no Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, Rajasthan Royals will be hoping the Englishman explodes in the season. They desperately need some inspiration to make a comeback in the tournament, having lost four of their seven games. They open their account against Punjab Kings, today, September 21 at the Dubai International Stadium. Livingstone revealed he skipped the India leg as he wanted to focus on his physical and mental health.

“I feel there’s more to life than just cricket, and sometimes we sort of forget that we are actual human beings and sometimes we have to look after ourselves," he said.

“I guess the decision I made at the time wasn’t an easy one, I wanted to stay with the Royals and try to help us win some games. But I think sometimes your mental and physical health is most important."

Livingstone has also been named in England’s squad for the T20 World Cup and playing the second leg will give him an invaluable experience ahead of the showpiece event.

Cricket News IPL 2023 Rajasthan Royals Liam Livingstone