NEW DELHI: Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore boldly taken up Liam Livingstone for a whopping Rs 8.75 crore at the recently concluded mega auction in Jeddah.
In an intense bidding war, RCB beat the Chennai Super Kings to secure the services of the English all-rounder after he was not snapped up by the Punjab Kings.
Livingstone recently expressed his excitement about signing RCB and said the team suits his style of play well.
“The fan base is very passionate. It’s probably one of the biggest franchises ever.” IPL… It's something of a new beginning for me,” Livingstone was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“I think Bangalore will be very good for my game. It's a bit smaller than some of the stadiums in India, definitely better than what Punjab was for me. Hopefully my game fits well with this place.”
Livingstone made his IPL debut with Rajasthan Royals in 2019 and then spent the last three seasons with Punjab Kings, where he amassed 827 runs.
Livingstone was excited about the opportunity with RCB and said he was keen to play for the franchise, especially at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is known for its shorter boundaries and high-scoring games.
The 31-year-old also recalled watching RCB's legendary batting trio Virat KohliChris Gayle and AB de Villiers on TV.
Now Livingstone is looking forward to making an impact alongside Kohli and his compatriot Phil Salt, who RCB signed for ₹11.5 crore, as they aim for their maiden IPL title.
“I think we had a really good auction. We have some good players, we have improved quite cleverly,” he said.
“There are a few people on this team that I know really well, so I’m really excited to be performing there as a group. Playing with players like Virat will be really cool.”
Liam Livingstone (Image credit: X)
