Liam Livingstone, the top pick in the first overseas draft, withdrew from the BBL due to his increased international workload, dealing a serious blow to the league just weeks before the start of a new season. The most sought-after player in the draft, Livingstone, was selected first by the Melbourne Renegades in August as the BBL sought to revitalise the competition before the upcoming Cricket Australia TV rights negotiations, which are scheduled to be finalised in 2024.
Livingstone signed on to play in the new SA20 league in January, so his original plan was to play in the first half of the BBL and sit out the second. Then, in December, he was chosen for England’s Test tour of Pakistan. Renegades hoped Livingstone would join them for a brief period after the Pakistan tour and before the start of the SA20 by signing Andre Russell to a four-game contract at the beginning of the season. However, Livingstone has chosen to completely withdraw from the BBL, leaving the league without another foreign platinum player after David Willey also withdrew. “We’re obviously disappointed that we won’t have Liam as part of our team this summer, but we understand his decision,” Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said.
“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,” he said. “We know Liam had been looking forward to working with our head coach, David Saker, and playing for our club. Hopefully, we can make that happen in the coming seasons. We have been in regular communication with Liam and his management over the last couple of months, which has allowed us to execute a plan that is best for the Renegades for this season,” he added.
“We’ve already secured Andre Russell for the first four matches and know the match-winning ability he will add to our team. 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,” he concluded. Following the discovery that Laurie Evans, an overseas signing for the Perth Scorchers, had tested positive for a prohibited substance during this year’s Hundred, a routine anti-doping test, the club announced they had terminated his contract. Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who broke his leg in a freak accident on November 12, is also anticipated to miss the majority of the BBL.