IPL Auction 2026: English all-rounder Liam Livingstone sold to SRH for ₹13 cr after intense bidding war

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 13 crore at the IPL auction on Tuesday.

Livingstone ignited a fierce bidding war. SRH and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) went hammer and tongs, with SRH initially leading at ₹13 crore, followed closely by LSG at ₹12.8 crore. The back-and-forth continued as SRH bid ₹12.6 crore and LSG countered with ₹12.4 crore, underscoring the intense demand for the English all-rounder in the upcoming season. Livingstone’s talent and versatility clearly made him one of the most coveted players of the auction.

The outcome followed Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s decision to release Livingstone ahead of the IPL 2026 auction cycle. He was one of two overseas players let go by the franchise after a subdued IPL 2025 season, in which he scored 112 runs at a strike rate of 133.33 and picked up two wickets with the ball.


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Those numbers fell well short of expectations for a player who had been bought for ₹8.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Livingstone struggled for consistency last season and featured in only 10 of RCB’s 16 matches, including the final, spending extended periods on the bench. Even so, the franchise’s leadership spoke warmly about him while explaining the call to move on.

RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat described the release as a difficult decision, saying on an episode of RCB Bold Diaries, “On a personal level, I and we release Livi (Livingstone) with a very heavy heart. I'm very fond of Livi as a player, but also as a person. I really enjoyed my time with him.”


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Head coach Andy Flower echoed those sentiments. “I'm sad to let go of Liam Livingstone. He played a very important role for us last year. He was one of the all-rounders that represented RCB and played a pivotal role in the final, actually. I really enjoyed my interactions with Livi,” Flower said.

The IPL 2026 mini-auction was held on December 16, 2025, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where Livingstone had been widely expected to attract strong interest. Instead, the England all-rounder remained unsold, marking one of the more surprising moments of the auction.

Livingstone’s standing in T20 cricket has been shaped by a string of standout performances over the years. He announced himself on the international stage with a 42-ball T20I century against Pakistan in 2021, the fastest hundred by an England batter in the format. Known for his brute hitting, athletic fielding and ability to spin the ball both ways, he has long been viewed as a high-impact option in the shortest format.

His rise began earlier in English domestic cricket, highlighted by a 350 off 138 balls for club side Nantwich in 2015, one of the highest individual scores in officially sanctioned limited-overs cricket. He later played a key role in Lancashire’s NatWest Blast-winning campaign and established himself as a globetrotting T20 professional across leagues including the IPL, PSL, BBL, Mzansi Super League and The Hundred.

In 2021, Livingstone topped the run charts in the inaugural edition of The Hundred, scoring 348 runs in nine matches, before cementing his place in England’s white-ball set-up. He was snapped up for ₹11.5 crore by Punjab Kings at the 2022 IPL auction and delivered 437 runs that season at a blistering strike rate, largely batting at No. 4.

While injuries and shifting roles slowed his momentum in subsequent years, Livingstone continued to be part of significant moments for England, including standing at the non-striker’s end when Ben Stokes sealed the 2022 T20 World Cup final. He followed that with an unbeaten 95 against New Zealand in an ODI at Southampton the following year.