Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower expressed happiness at addition of England all-rounder Liam Livingstone to team's roster during the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction at Jeddah.
Livingstone was roped in for Rs 8.75 crores by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Speaking in a statement by the franchise after the successful bid, Andy said that Livingstone is "dangerous" and "versatile" as a player.
"We are very happy to get Liam Livingstone. He is a very very dangerous player obviously huge power but very versatile as well, given that he bowls legspin and offspin. So having that spin addition to our attack is really nice to secure early in the auction." He also said that Livingstone is maturing as a player, especially as a batter, with ability to change gears.
"And the other thing I had say about Livingstone, and I've worked with him quite a lot before, certainly at the England Cricket Academy, what I see in him is a maturing player, and some of his international efforts recently shows that he's a maturing batsman who now can change gear up and down. And his ups very high, obviously, but he can also build innings and absorb pressure when he needs to. So that's been really nice to see recently. We're really happy to get him," he concluded.
Liam Livingstone: Dangerous. Versatile. Matured. Ability to change gears up and down!
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) November 24, 2024
Head Coach Andy Flower has spoken. Listen up, 12th Man Army.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPLAuction #BidForBold #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/6z0yY0oCdh
The batting all-rounder has played for Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) since his tournament debut in 2019, scoring 939 runs in 39 matches at a strike rate of 162.46 and six fifties. He has also taken 11 wickets. His best has come with Punjab, who signed him for Rs 11.5 crores ahead of 2022 season, which proved to be his breakthrough, scoring 437 runs in 14 matches with four fifties and a strike rate of 182.08 and getting six wickets in 14 matches.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction from Sunday to Monday is all set to be two of the most intriguing days of this year's cricketing calendar, with several international stars having entered the auction, records expected to be broken and the possibility of some unexpected crossovers.
A total of 574 players have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 1,574 names. These players will go under the hammer from November 24-25 in Jeddah. The list includes 208 overseas players, 12 uncapped overseas talents, and 318 uncapped Indian players.