It Was Like Homes Under the Hammer - Liam Livingstone on his Surprise IPL Pick

Liam Livingstone, the 25-year-old all-rounder from Lancashire, expressed his surprise after attracting a bidder in the recently held Indian Premier League (IPL) auction at Jaipur. Meanwhile, Livingstone was at the gym when Rajasthan Royals roped him for the upcoming season for Rs 50 lakhs.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan did a fair job at the auction building a strong side for their second title hunt. They roped in some young talent along with the already retained cricketers to make it big this time. However, for Liam Livingstone, it has started to sink in, and he is now keen to make the most of the opportunity.

“It was a bit of surprise if I’m honest,” he told The Independent. “You don’t know when your name will come into the auction and I had already been watching it for a couple of hours. “My strength and conditioning coach was going mad that I wasn’t doing much. We were doing the 3km challenge – 3k on the rower, 3k on the bike and 3k on the treadmill. I was trying to put that off for as long as possible.

“It was all a bit strange really, it was pretty much like Homes Under the Hammer. Your name comes up and then the owners start bidding. It was really nice to be picked up,” he added.

Liam Livingstone rose to fame with is 138-ball 3500 runs knock for Nantwich as a 21-year-old. And now, he will England teammates Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in the squad.

Looking forward to getting out there

The English cricketer admitted that he can’t wait to join the Rajasthan Royals in the next season. He is also keen to learn from the best of the business and show some of his capabilities as well.

“I’m looking forward to getting out there. It’s cricket’s Champions League equivalent, really. I’ve spoken to a number of people who have gone out there and I’ve heard some amazing things. Jos (Buttler) has said it’s one of the best things that have happened to him in his career. I’m going to go out there and learn as much as I can and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to perform and show what I’m capable of,” Livingstone said.

“It’s a great platform to showcase my talents. Lancashire have been very understanding and know why I want to go and play in these tournaments,” he concluded.