I had lunch with Archer today and he said he was going to come after me: Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

The 46th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a clash between the Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings and the five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday, May 3.

Coming in to bat first after losing the toss, Punjab’s top order failed to make an impact. After Prabhsimran Singh’s early dismissal and Shikhar Dhawan and Matt Short’s subpar innings, it was the brilliance of Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma that propelled Punjab to a huge total of 214 runs.

Livingstone amassed 82* runs in 42 deliveries and looked to be in phenomenal touch against Mumbai. Much like any other Mumbai bowler, it was a night to forget for English pacer Jofra Archer. Conceding 56 runs in four overs, Archer was hit for three consecutive sixes by Livingstone in the 19th game of the first innings.

In the mid-innings break, Livingstone came forward to reflect on his performance with the bat. He even revealed that he had lunch with Archer earlier in the day and that the English pacer told him that he would come after him.

“It felt like a good pitch; playing spin was quite difficult. I tried to ensure that we did not lose wickets in clumps, it’s a good score. It’s a good pitch, so we will have to bowl well. It’s nice to get going. I had lunch with Archer today, and he said he was going to come after me. He (Archer) knows what I don’t like. Playing spin was a bit harder, but I picked up bowlers pretty well today,” Livingstone said in the mid-innings break.

Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan propelled Mumbai to scintillating victory

Coming in to chase down a target of 215 runs, the five-time champions got off to a rocky start as skipper Rohit Sharma was sent back to the pavilion on a duck. Furthermore, Cameron Green put in a subpar performance as well, scoring 23 runs in 18 balls.

However, it was the knocks of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan that propelled Mumbai to a brilliant win. Suryakumar Yadav scored 66 runs in 31 balls, whereas Ishan Kishan amassed 75 runs in 41 deliveries. Their knocks were crucial as the five-time champions registered a magnificent win in Mohali.