Major blow for Melbourne Renegades as Liam Livingstone withdraws from upcoming BBL season

Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Melbourne Renegades’ number one pick Liam Livingstone has withdrawn from the entirety of the forthcoming season. Earlier, the franchise confirmed that the English star was set to miss the opening eight games of the season before leaving for South Africa's new domestic T20 league, owing to the surprise inclusion in the England Test squad for the three-match tour of Pakistan.

Moreover, the franchise had added the services of Caribbean explosive hitter Ander Russell as Livingstone's replacement for the eight matches. However, the Three Lions player has decided to opt out of the league entirely leaving the side without another overseas platinum player after David Willey also confirmed his withdrawal from the tournament.

The Melbourne Renegades can confirm Liam Livingstone has withdrawn from #BBL12.

Full details 👇

— Melbourne Renegades (@RenegadesBBL) November 22, 2022

"We're obviously disappointed that we won't have Liam as part of our team this summer, but we understand his decision. Liam is a fantastic cricketer and there's a reason we used our first pick in the draft to select him. Since then, his schedule has changed with added international duties, and we wish him the best as he pushes for a Test debut," Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said.

Melbourne Renegades to announce replacement for Livingstone

With the major blow handed to the Melbourne side ahead of the BBL 12, the franchise will now explore options for replacement. The franchise will soon expected to announce a big-name player before they head for the competition as their campaign is set to commence on December 15 against Brisbane Heat.

"This news has allowed us to explore replacement options with greater availability beyond the first half of the tournament, and we look forward to being able to announce another big-name addition for the Renegades soon,” added Rosengarten.

Melbourne Renegades squad (so far): Nic Maddinson (c), Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein (West Indies), Ruwantha Kellapotha (Sri Lanka), Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Andre Russell (West Indies), Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Jon Wells