IPL 2026: ‘They’re trusting he’ll win 2-3 matches single-handedly’ – Sadagoppan Ramesh questions SRH gamble

Sadagoppan Ramesh questions SRH gamble (Photo source: IPL)

Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh believes that England all-rounder Liam Livingstone would have been surprised himself by the price Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) paid for him at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction. The franchise signed the right-handed batter for INR 13 crore.

Livingstone is coming off a dismal IPL 2025 season with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He scored at an average of 16 with a strike rate of 133.33 in 10 matches, managing just one half-century. He has also been out of favour with the England setup and last played for them in March 2025.

“Even he would have been surprised by going for so many. Many franchises pick such cricketers, even after a bad season for them, with the assumption that they’ll return to form the following season. This is a double-edged sword,” said Ramesh on Star Sports.

Ramesh believes that SRH have signed Livingstone with the expectation that he can single-handedly win them a few games in IPL 2026. Livingstone is a seasoned T20 veteran, having played 340 matches. He has scored over 7,600 runs at an average of 28 and an impressive strike rate of 145, including 40 half-centuries and two centuries. With the ball, he has also claimed 148 wickets in T20 cricket at an economy rate of 8.48.

“They are trusting that he’ll win two to three matches singlehandedly. But he is a very inconsistent player. Today, there are many consistent players in T20 cricket. So to still bet on an inconsistent player is a big risk. Only time will tell if this is a smart move,” said Ramesh.

SRH will begin their campaign against RCB on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Regular captain Pat Cummins is currently sidelined due to injury, with Ishan Kishan named as the stand-in skipper for the initial matches. Abhishek Sharma will serve as his deputy. The Hyderabad-based franchise last enjoyed significant success in IPL 2024, where they finished as runners-up.