England batsman Liam Livingstone has revealed on Tuesday (December 25) that he was completely “surprised” after securing a contract with Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019.
Lancashire’s Livingstone further went on to reveal that he was in the gym at Old Trafford and was watching the IPL Auction 2019 on the TV when he was picked up by RR for INR 50 lakh, saying it was a bit of surprise and was all a bit strange for him.
The big-hitting Cumbrian, who joins England teammates Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler at the Royals, is looking forward to making the most of the opportunity by playing with some of the best in the business in the 12th edition of the IPL 2019.
Livingstone told The Independent, “It was a bit of surprise, if I’m honest. You don’t know when your name will come into the auction and I had already been watching it for a couple of hours.”
He continued, “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.”
The 25-year-old failed to impress as the skipper of Lancashire last season and that’s why he was not sure about the possibility of him picking by any franchise at IPL auction 2019, but now Livingstone just wants to grab the opportunity with both hands and show his talent in the lucrative T20 event in India.
Livingstone, who has played two T20 Internationals, added, “I don’t want to miss any cricket for Lancashire but having the chance to go out and play with some of the best players in the world and share a changing room with them as well is the reason I went in the auction in the first place. 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.”
He further added on the same, “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. 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.”
Liam signed off by saying, “I’ll be in the PSL (Pakistan Super League) before and will then go straight to the IPL. They’re two different environments, two new environments and being in different changing rooms with different coaches and different players can only help me develop as a cricketer.”
Noteworthy, Livingstone, who is also a handy leg-spinner, has played 51 T20s so far, and amassed 1110 runs at a strike rate of 145.47.
(With The Independent Inputs)
