3 players who can replace Liam Livingstone if he is ruled out of the UAE leg of IPL 2021

The opening day of the final leg of the County Championship in the UK proved to be an unfortunate one for Liam Livingstone's Indian Premier League (IPL) hopes. The hard-hitting English batsman, an overseas recruit of the Rajasthan Royals for the UAE leg of IPL 2021, suffered a shoulder injury while diving near the boundary rope.

While there has been no official update on the extent of Livingstone's injury, the Royals will be hoping it's not serious enough to rule him out of the competition. But if Livingstone does miss out, which could still be the case, the Rajasthan outfit will have to look for a replacement quickly.

Here's a look at three players who could replace Liam Livingstone if he is ruled out of the 2nd leg of IPL 2021.

---

#1 Alex Hales

Alex Hales in action during the Vitality T20 Blast Quarter Final

Alex Hales has transformed himself into a T20 mercenary since his snub from the England cricket team.

The swashbuckling England opener has been a consistent performer in T20 leagues around the world over the past few years. He was the leading run-scorer last season in the Big Bash League, where he featured for the Sydney Thunder. In 15 innings, Hales smashed 543 runs at an average of 38.78 and a blistering strike rate of 161.61, including one three-figure score.

.@AlexHales1's 171 off 122 balls led 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 to 444-3, a record at that time vs 🇵🇰 #OTD in '16 at Trent BridgeHis score was then the highest in ODIs by an 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 batter@root66 (85), @josbuttler (90 off 51) & @Eoin16 (57 off 27) contributed to the mammoth totalpic.twitter.com/7zvNZ8nO1E

— North Stand Gang - Wankhede (@NorthStandGang) August 30, 2021

So when the IPL 2021 mini-auction rolled around, all eyes were on Alex Hales. However, in a major upset, Hales failed to attract bidders and, as a result, went unsold.

The Englishman has previously featured in just six IPL games in which he managed 148 runs at an average of 24.66 and a strike rate of 125.42. However, the Nottinghamshire cricketer has come a long way since the 2018 IPL.

If Liam Livingstone is ruled out of the 2nd leg of IPL 2021 then Rajasthan Royals can surely consider Alex Hales as a potential replacement.

---

#2 Colin Munro

Colin Munro can be a decent replacement for Liam Livingstone if he is ruled out due to injury

Colin Munro has failed to emulate his exploits in international T20s in the IPL in the past. The Kiwi opener has featured in 13 IPL games across three seasons since making his debut back in 2016. In 12 innings, Munro scored 177 runs at an average of 14.75 and a strike rate of 125.53 without a single 50+ score.

He has gone unsold in the past couple of auctions. That said, the hard-hitting opener has had his fair share of success in international T20s as well as in leagues around the world.

Colin Munro and Usman Khawaja's performance yesterday was one for the record books 🙌 #PSL6

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 12, 2021

Munro has been one of the leading performers in the CPL over the years. He was the top run-getter for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2018 edition and also has a considerable amount of experience playing in the United Arab Emirates. The latter aspect could be especially useful for the Royals, who experienced a disappointing IPL 2020 campaign in the UAE.

More importantly, Munro opted out of New Zealand's tour of Bangladesh after he was overlooked for the Kiwis' T20 World Cup squad. Resultantly, he is likely to be available for the UAE leg of IPL 2021. If Liam Livingstone misses out, the Rajasthan Royals could look at Munro as a potential replacement.

As far as his T20 numbers are concerned, Munro has featured in 303 games in which he has scored 7469 runs at an average of 29.99. The Kiwi has a strike rate of 143.33, with 45 half-centuries and four tons to his name.

---

#3 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch has struggled to emulate his international exploits in the IPL in the past but could still be an asset

Aaron Finch has been a disappointment with respect to the IPL. Despite being one of the best openers in ODI and T20I cricket in the past decade, Finch has never been able to emulate his performances in the cash-rich league.

The Australian skipper has featured for a truckload of teams during his IPL career, which is perhaps a reflection of his underwhelming performances over the years. Finch endured a poor outing in IPL 2020 in the UAE where he featured for Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore.

In 12 innings, the opener managed just 268 runs at an average of 22.33 and a strike rate of 111.20 with a solitary 50-plus score. He was subsequently released by RCB ahead of the mini-auction earlier this year.

As expected, he went unsold in the auction. While Finch does not have past IPL numbers to force his case, the right-hander has enough experience and skills to right the wrongs of the past. He only needs to take some inspiration from his international teammate Glenn Maxwell, who outperformed himself in the first leg of IPL schedule 2021 earlier this year.