Day two of the ongoing Tata Indian Premiere League(IPL) mega auction saw the first big buy from Punjab Kings who acquired England all-rounder Liam Livingstone for ₹11.5 crore. He became the most expensive overseas player this season so far. On day one of the auction Sri Lankan cricketer Wanindu Hasaranga was bought by RCB at ₹10.75 crore.
Livingstone, 28, is a graduate of the Lancashire Cricket Academy and has now made 163 appearances for the Club. The hard-hitting batsman from Barrow averages a touch below 40 in First-Class cricket and his devastating strike rate of over 140 in T20 cricket has earned him a reputation as one of the world’s most explosive short-form cricketers.
However the first session’s highlight was Livingstone, who hit the million dollar plus mark with five teams bidding for him at one point in time.
However it must be mentioned that Livingstone played for Rajasthan Royals in the previous season and didn’t actually perform well on slow tracks but franchises with still slots to filled (minimum 18 per squad) looked desperate for him.
His form has led to call-ups into England’s white-ball squads – most recently featuring in the ICC T20 World Cup this winter – and appearances in T20 leagues around the world including the Indian Premier League, Big Bash, and Pakistan Super League.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) entered late but Punjab Kings bagged Livingstone in the end for ₹11.50 crore. Livingstone was the first player in Set 2 of the all-rounders and attracted bids from Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to star with.
Meanwhile, India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, England skipper Eoin Morgan. Australia skipper Aaron Finch went unsold in the first round of bidding.
*with inputs from agencies
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