'He had 6-7 failures for Rajasthan Royals': Manjrekar calls PBKS' bid for 28-year-old star at IPL auction as 'gamble'
Manjrekar explained that while Punjab bought some significant players to add to their squad, they were all proven IPL talents, unlike the 28-year-old star.
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone became the talking point early on day 2 of the mega auction in Bengaluru after he was roped in for a colossal amount by Punjab Kings that made his the most expensive overseas buy at the IPL 2022 auction. However former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar called the decision a "gamble".
Livingstone, a hard-hitting batsman who bowls both leg-spin and off-spin, who had a base price of INR 75 lakh, garnered early interest from Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujarat Titans and SunRisers Hyderabad, but was eventually roped in Punjab for INR 11.50 crore, making him the fourth-most costliest England cricketer in auction history.
Speaking to Star Sports on Sunday, Manjrekar pointed out at Livingstone's struggle to get going in IPL 2021 where he had scored only 42 runs in five matches before being dropped from the side. The veteran cricketer explained that while Punjab bought some significant players to add to their squad, they were all proven IPL talents, unlike Livingstone.
"Before the auction, I said that one of the best performers in the auction have been Punjab Kings. They have got some significant players, Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow, Harpreet Brar was a great selection. They have retained Arshdeep which is a great decision. They have got Rabada and they have got Rahul Chahar. These are formidable proven IPL talents. They had a lot of money left as they didn't spend a lot on their above-mentioned picks," he said.
"I still maintain that Liam Livingstone is a gamble, considering his previous IPL experience. Odeon Smith is a story that we have seen many times before. Owners get excited about the talent that they see outside and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.
"I was very gung-ho out Liam Livingstone after seeing him play for England against India. I thought he is some guy who will do good in the IPL, he is good against spin and a good bowler as well. But then he had around 6-7 failures for Rajasthan Royals. He was dropped and then brought back. But he just couldn't get back to form.
"That I thought will come into play. I always believe in backing proven materials. He had struggled in the IPL last year. I was a little surprised by the optimism that a lot of teams had for Liam Livingstone. IPL is a unique tournament, the pressure is high and the performances in the other parts of the world don't have a lot of bearing on the buys," he added.
Punjab had earlier bought West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith, who was impressive both with the bat and ball in the recently-concluded ODI series against India, for INR 6 crore