England’s Liam Livingstone draws MASSIVE £1.25m from Punjab Kings at IPL auction

Liam Livingstone was the big winner of the IPL draft when a bidding war led to his £1.12million move to Punjab Kings.

The Lancashire all-rounder became the most expensive overseas buy of 2022 after Punjab were joined by Kolkata, Chennai and Gujarat in a battle to sign him. 

But it was Punjab who got the hard-hitting Livingstone in an auction featuring other big-money moves for English players.

Liam Livingstone was sold to the Punjab Kings for £1.25m on the second day of IPL auction

Fast bowler Mark Wood was signed by Lucknow Super Giants for £731,250 while Jonny Bairstow also joined Punjab for £658,125. 

And there was a surprise when Jofra Archer went to Mumbai Indians for £781,566, even though he is not expected to play after elbow surgery.

Their sales came after English auctioneer Hugh Edmeades retired from duty with low blood pressure.

How long the players remain in India remains to be seen. England will want Wood and Bairstow, in particular, back in time to prepare for the first Test series of the summer, against New Zealand from June 2.

Livingstone was sought after by a number of clubs during the auction but went with the Kings 

IPL auctioneer Hugh Edmeades has given an update following his collapse on Saturday