But the hosts will be a confident group as star batter Virat Kohli made a return to run-making ways after an all too brief blip.
Livingstone, who made his IPL debut in 2019 with Rajasthan Royals, spent the last three seasons with Punjab Kings where the middle-order batter scored 827 runs in the world's richest Twenty20 league.
Struggling Mumbai Indians will be hoping their batters get their act together and shoulder responsibility when they take on an inspired Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Monday.
Varma's current rating of 832 points is the fourth-highest ever achieved by an Indian batter in T20I history, behind only Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bowling unit will face a different challenge when they take on Gujarat Titans in an IPL match on Wednesday.
RCB head coach Andy Flower expressed his confidence in newly appointed captain Rajat Patidar, highlighting the presence of experienced players like Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as a major advantage for him.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad asserted that 170 runs was a "par total", but dropped catches and extra boundaries proved costly for his team against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL match at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai, on Friday.
Harshit Rana returned to take 3 big wickets and become the first Indian bowler to take 3 wickets on debut across 3 formats.
Hardik Pandya walked out with the scoreboard reading 99 for 4, and a daunting 222 to chase. The Wankhede was subdued, the Mumbai Indians innings gasping after SKY's stuttering knock. What followed was a spell of breathtaking power-hitting that nearly flipped the game -- and left the crowd in awe.
The left-hander clobbered eight sixes and five fours in his scintillating 79 off 34 balls as India chased down a modest 133-run target in 12.5 overs.
K L Rahul's impeccable 93 not out off 53 deliveries propelled Delhi Capitals to an emphatic six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru, on Thursday, April 10 2025.
Images from the fourth T20 International between India and England in Pune on Friday.
Images from the second T20 International between England and Australia, at Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground, Cardiff, Wales, on Friday.
Rahul, who initially batted at No. 6 in the first two games, didn't look comfortable and fared far better at the familiar No. 5 position with a useful 40 off 29 balls in India's one-sided 142-run victory in the third ODI in Ahmedabad.
Punjab Kings defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by five wickets in a rain-affected IPL match reduced to 14 overs per side at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru, on Friday, April 18, 2025.
IMAGES from the 1st T20I played between India and England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.
England secured a 26-run victory over India in the third T20I in Rajkot on Tuesday to stay alive in the five-match series.
Josh Inglis smashed a maiden ODI century (120 not out) to lead Australia to a thrilling five-wicket victory over England in a high-scoring Champions Trophy match.
Josh Inglis slammed a brilliant century as Australia completed the highest chase in an ICC men's tournament against England in Lahore on Saturday.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru on Thursday.
RCB head coach Andy Flower confirmed England batter Phil Salt will partner Virat Kohli at the top of the order for his side in the next IPL.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
Captain Harry Brook scored a dazzling 87 before Liam Livingstone wrought havoc by smashing 62 in 27 balls as England thrashed Australia by 186 runs in a rain-shortened ODI at Lord's.
Dube was hit on the helmet by a Jamie Overton bouncer and seamer Rana replaced him despite it not being a like-for-like replacement as concussion substitute rules mandate.
Given India's batting collapses in the last two matches, key changes to the playing XI are anticipated.
England skipper Jos Buttler expressed delight in Ben Duckett's record-breaking knock even as he hailed Australia for chasing down a massive total of 352 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy Group B match in Lahore on Saturday.
Both teams have struggled in the ODI format recently. World champions Australia lost to Sri Lanka (0-2) and Pakistan (1-2) in their last two series, while England, now coached by Brendon McCullum in all formats, haven't won an ODI series since their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign.
India claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead over England after captain Rohit Sharma's rapid hundred secured a four-wicket win in the second one-day international on Sunday.
'We were prepared. Archer and Wood are quick, our guys prepared well, we worked hard in the nets and we got the results.'
'This format is difficult. You get 10 overs, and you have to play different roles in different phases.'
Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals claimed crucial victories over Durban's Super Giants and Sunrisers Eastern Cape respectively in the Betway SA20.
'The more number of times you reach the playoffs, the probability of winning the championship is quite near.'
A superb maiden ODI century by new captain Harry Brook led England to a dominant, rain-shortened DLS victory over Australia on Tuesday to keep the five-match series alive with two to play.
England white-ball captain Jos Buttler will return to the side for their One-Day International and Twenty20 tour of the West Indies later in October after recovering from a calf injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Wednesday.
Beginning with the Eden T20I, the two teams will fight it out in a full white ball series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, which will serve as a crucial warm-up for the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel smashed half-centuries as India defeated England by four wickets in the first One-Day International in Nagpur.
Indian seamer Arshdeep Singh entered the top 10 among bowlers and was placed eighth in the ICC T20I rankings issued in Dubai on Wednesday.
PBKS' Livingstone returns to England to address knee niggle ahead of T20 WC
New rules, new captains, but same excitement as two months of cricket extravaganza kicks off in Kolkata.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's first Most Valuable Player Index for IPL 2025.
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