Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone broke into the spotlight when he made a T20I hundred off 42 balls against Pakistan in 2021 - the fastest century in the format by an England player. By then he had a reputation in English cricket as a batter equipped with plenty of raw power and the ability to dismantle good bowling attacks, a sharp outfielder, and a useful spinner who could turn the ball either way.

Livingstone first attracted attention when he creamed 350 in 138 balls for club side Nantwich in 2015 - one of the largest individual scores in any officially sanctioned limited-overs game. He won a trophy that season when Lancashire took the NatWest Blast title, though he himself didn't do much of note (and needed stitches after he was attacked in a bar earlier during in the competition).

By the time he topped the run-scorers' table at the inaugural Hundred in 2021 with 348 runs from nine games, Livingstone was something of a seasoned T20 campaigner, with experience in the PSL, IPL, BBL, and South Africa's Mzansi Super League. He was also one of MI Cape Town's early signings in the SA20 two years on.

Livingstone made the England side for the 2021 T20 World Cup as their designated finisher, though he only faced a handful of balls in the tournament. His star rose higher still when he sold for Rs 11.5 crore (about US$1.5 million) in the 2022 IPL auction, to Punjab Kings. He delivered for them that season, with 437 runs - remarkably, most of them scored from No. 4, at a stratospheric strike rate - though his run-making tapered off with fewer starting opportunities in the two seasons after.

Coming back from injury for the T20 World Cup in 2022, he was at the non-striker's end when Ben Stokes hit the winning runs in the final, against Pakistan. The following year, Livingstone made an unbeaten 95 in a big win against New Zealand in an ODI in Southampton.

- Liam Livingstone was first signed for the IPL before the 2019 season, by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 50 lakh.

- He was with them till IPL 2021 but couldn't do much in the limited opportunities he got.

- Before IPL 2022, Punjab Kings picked him for INR 11.5 crore and he delivered with 437 runs at a strike rate of 182.08. However, his returns tapered off in the following two seasons.

- After a season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he could manage only 112 runs in eight innings, he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 13 crore before IPL 2026.