Former Indian spinner Amit Mishra has backed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s decision to buy England all-rounder Liam Livingstone for Rs 13 crore at the IPL 2025 auction, calling him a “good buy” who fits perfectly with the Hyderabad conditions. Mishra, who played for SRH in 2013 and 2014, believes Livingstone’s leg-spin bowling and power-hitting will be valuable assets for the Orange Army. He also praised SRH’s overall auction strategy while suggesting Lucknow Super Giants could have strengthened their squad with an English fast bowler and an extra batter.

Why Livingstone is a smart pick for SRH

Speaking to ANI, Mishra highlighted the multiple skills Livingstone brings to the table and explained why the Uppal Stadium pitch suits his game. He said,

“He can bat, he can bowl some good leg spin, which is a great wicket-taking option and also is a very good fielder. He has that quality in his bowling. Also, besides his leg-spin, he can also bowl a little bit of offspin, so that adds to what he offers as a batter and fielder. I think he is a good buy. Also, his batting would be suitable for Hyderabad’s wicket.”

Livingstone’s ability to bowl both leg-spin and off-spin gives SRH captain Pat Cummins extra bowling options in the middle overs. His explosive batting style, with a career IPL strike rate of over 158, makes him a dangerous finisher or middle-order aggressor depending on match situations.

Liam Livingstone’s IPL Record

Stat

Value

Matches

49

Runs

1,051

Strike rate

158+

Fifties

7

Wickets

13

Teams

RR, PBKS, RCB

Recent form supports the investment

Though Livingstone had a quiet season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru during their title-winning campaign in IPL 2025, scoring just 112 runs in eight matches, he has since found strong form in English domestic cricket. In The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix, he scored 241 runs at an average of 40.16 and took seven wickets. He followed that up with an impressive Vitality Blast performance for Lancashire, making 260 runs at an average of 52 and a strike rate above 176 while also picking up six wickets.

This recent form shows Livingstone is back to his best and ready to make an impact for SRH in IPL 2026. His experience playing in high-pressure matches and ability to turn games with both bat and ball make the Rs 13 crore investment look reasonable for a franchise aiming to win their second IPL title.

SRH “fulfilled all their requirements”

Beyond Livingstone, Mishra praised SRH’s complete auction strategy, saying the franchise has built a well-balanced squad. They bought Punjab’s hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter Salil Arora for Rs 1.50 crore, Australia’s young all-rounder Jack Edwards for Rs 3 crore, and Indian pacer Shivam Mavi for Rs 75 lakh, along with several uncapped Indian talents at base price.

With retained stars like Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and captain Pat Cummins, plus new additions like Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper-batter) and England pacer Brydon Carse, SRH have addressed most positions. Mishra believes they have “fulfilled all their requirements” heading into the new season.

SRH Key Signings at IPL 2025 Auction

Liam Livingstone: Rs 13 crore

Ishan Kishan: Price not disclosed

Brydon Carse: Price not disclosed

Jack Edwards: Rs 3 crore

Salil Arora: Rs 1.50 crore

Shivam Mavi: Rs 75 lakh

LSG could have done better, says Mishra

Turning his attention to Lucknow Super Giants, the team Mishra represented in 2023 and 2024, the veteran leggie suggested they missed an opportunity to strengthen their pace attack with an overseas fast bowler. LSG’s pace department is heavily Indian, featuring Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Naman Tiwari, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohsin Khan, and Prince Yadav, with South African Anrich Nortje (bought for Rs 2 crore) as their only overseas seamer.

Mishra said,

“I think LSG could have added a good English fast bowler, who would give them two overs in the powerplay and in death and also become a wicket-taking option during the middle-overs. They mainly have Indian fast bowlers. Also, I think they could have added one more batter.”

LSG did sign Rishabh Pant as captain and wicketkeeper along with Josh Inglis, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran, giving them strong international batting depth. However, Mishra feels an extra quality batter could have made their line-up even more formidable for the challenges ahead.