Even he would have been shocked by going for therefore many

Former Team India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh believes big-hitting English all-rounder Liam Livingstone would have been surprised himself with the price the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) signed him for at the IPL 2026 auction. The franchise signed the 32-year-old for a whopping ₹13 crores in an eleventh-hour attempt to balance their squad.

Livingstone is coming off a dismal IPL 2025 season with the title-winners, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He averaged only 16 at a strike rate of 133.33 in 10 outings with a lone half-century.

Furthermore, Livingstone has been out of favor with England, having last played for them in March last year.

Talking about SRH’s signing of Liam Livingstone, Ramesh said on Star Sports (1:38):

“Even he would have been surprised by going for so many. Many franchises pick such cricketers, even after a bad season for them, with the assumption that they’ll return to form the following season. This is a double-edged sword.”

Batting aside, Livingstone offers variety with the ball, thanks to his ability to bowl leg and off-spin. SRH struggled for team balance last year, resulting in a sixth-place finish in the standings with only six wins in 14 matches.

“They are trusting that he’ll win two to three matches singlehandedly” – S Ramesh

Sadagoppan Ramesh believes SRH has signed Liam Livingstone with the hope that the all-rounder will single-handedly win them a few games in IPL 2026. Despite his inconsistencies, Livingstone is a veteran of T20 cricket, having played an incredible 340 matches.

The right-hander has amassed over 7,600 T20 runs at an average of 28 and a strike rate of almost 145, including 40 half-centuries and two centuries. He has also picked up 148 T20 wickets at an excellent average of under 26 and a respectable economy of 8.48.

“They are trusting that he’ll win two to three matches singlehandedly. But he is a very inconsistent player. Today, there are many consistent players in T20 cricket. So to still bet on an inconsistent player is a big risk. Only time will tell if this is a smart move,” said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).

SRH will hope Livingstone’s addition in the lower middle-order works magic as they look to bounce back from a dismal 2025 IPL season. They will take on defending champions RCB in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28.