Liam Livingstone wreaked havoc with the bat.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Liam Livingstone unleashed carnage in the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025/26 fixture last night. He showed his ruthless approach with the bat and smashed bowlers all around the park during this blistering knock.
Livingstone scored 82 runs in 38 balls, including two boundaries and eight sixes, at a strike rate of 215.79. 68.29% of his runs came via fours and sixes, and he scored 35.19% of the team’s runs alone.
Livingstone batted at No.4 for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, which allowed him to settle in before going berserk, and the move worked, as he powered the team to a big 233/4 in 20 overs while batting first. The start was a bit slow for the batter, who scored only 7 off his first 9 deliveries, but he covered it magnificently and ended up scoring 75 runs off the final 29 balls.
This included a 33-run over off Dwaine Pretorius to cap off the innings, who tried everything but couldn’t stop the dynamite batter from giving a big finish. Liam Livingstone couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season, and these knocks will boost his chances of earning big in the IPL 2026 auction.
Despite a middling IPL 2025, Liam Livingstone will be in huge demand in the IPL 2026 auction, given what he brings to the table and the desperation of a few teams. He is a solid pace-hitter who can be flexible with his batting position and also give at least a couple of overs with the ball consistently.
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Teams like Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are desperately searching for solid middle-order batters who can also contribute as a bowler, and Livingstone fits their plans. KKR can afford to play him at No.4 or 5 since they have released the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Moeen Ali, and he always performs better when he gets more deliveries to face.
Other teams that might be interested in him are the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) because both don’t have enough genuine spin-bowling all-rounders. SRH also need another proven batter in the middle since the likes of Atharva Taide and Abhinav Manohar were released before the auction.
However, both teams, especially RR, have a limited budget and might not pip KKR or CSK in the bidding race. In any scenario, Liam Livingstone should command a big sum, given the limited options in the auction and multiple teams likely to go hard for him.
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