Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has chosen English all-rounder Liam Livingstone as a player to watch out for the Sunrisers Hyderabad with a need to prove his mettle amid the pressure of a high price-tag surrounding him.
Owing to his poor form, Livingstone was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru after their successful season. He was picked up by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 13 crore in the auction. Chopra opined that the IPL is a perfect platform for him to show his talent and justify the high price-tag.
“I am thinking about Liam Livingstone. He was talking about the lack of communication in the England setup, and that he didn’t get the same kind of response and messages, and all of that. He has been sold for a lot of money, but let’s be honest, the figures are slightly inflated because he hasn’t performed anything like that in the last two or three years to get this much money,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“He wouldn’t have gotten so much money had it not been a supply-and-demand issue, but now that he is there, he will get a chance to play, make a difference. This is your opportunity, Liam Livingstone,” he added.
Opportunities for Abhishek, Kishan
Chopra also believes that this season is an opportunity for Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. Abhishek is coming off the back of a dismal World Cup campaign, where despite India lifting the trophy, his returns were meagre. Kishan, on the other hand, has been handed captaincy of the franchise in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is still recovering from a lumbar stress issue and will miss the initial rounds of the IPL.
“It’s an opportunity for Abhishek Sharma to make it a 600-700-run season. Ishan Kishan should make such a big captaincy stature that you wish to go towards him, whether Pat Cummins is there or not,” he observed.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will play their opening fixture of IPL 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on March 28.
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