Is Liam Livingstone playing today's KKR vs PBKS IPL 2024 match?

Liam Livingstone has been left out of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) playing XI for their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Friday, April 26. Jonny Bairstow has replaced Livingstone in the XI.

Livingstone has had a quiet IPL, managing just 111 runs and three wickets in six matches so far. The all-rounder, though, managed to pick up two wickets in his previous match against Gujarat Titans (GT).

Bairstow too managed just 96 runs in his first six games before getting dropped for the last two games against Mumbai Indians (MI) and GT. The wicketkeeper-batter will be keen to deliver as Shikhar Dhawan misses his fourth consecutive game due to a shoulder injury.

At the toss, PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran said that they would look to strengthen their top order. He said:

"Liam Livingstone misses out, Jonny Bairstow is back."

---

PBKS opt to bowl against KKR in IPL 2024 match

Punjab Kings captain Sam Curran won the toss and chose to bowl against KKR in IPL on Friday. That came after his side lost after opting to bat against GT in their last outing.

Sam Curran said:

"We will have a bowl. We had 4 games at home, [but] unfortunately, lost all four. The guys are ready for the away games though. We know what we need to do from here, just go out and play."

Meanwhile, the Knight Riders are without their premium pacer Mitchell Starc, who suffered a cut to finger during his team's last game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Dushmantha Chameera has replaced him in the playing XI.

KKR are currently second in the points table, with five wins in seven matches. Meanwhile, Punjab are ninth with just two wins in eight games. They will look to return to winning ways after losing four matches on the trot against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, MI and GT, respectively.

Follow the KKR vs PBKS IPL 2024 match live score and updates here.