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SRH slammed for skipping Shami replacement in IPL Auction, splurging 13 crore on Livingstone: 'Do they really need him?'
SRH did pick up a few economical players to add depth, their marquee move was still Liam Livingstone for a staggering INR 13 crore in an accelerated round.
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticised Sunrisers Hyderabad’s approach in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, questioning their decision not to secure a backup for Mohammed Shami. While SRH did pick up a few economical players to add depth, their marquee move was still Liam Livingstone for a staggering INR 13 crore in an accelerated round. Apart from Livingstone, only Jack Edwards (INR 3 crore) and uncapped talent Salil Arora (INR 1.5 crore) crossed the INR 1-crore mark. SRH’s lack of reinforcements in key areas, especially the pace attack, could leave them vulnerable in the upcoming season.
They didn’t show interest in Livingstone during the initial round but went all out in the accelerated round, outbidding LSG to secure the English all-rounder in a big-money move.
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Srikkanth took aim at Sunrisers Hyderabad’s auction strategy, questioning the need for Liam Livingstone’s big-money signing and pointing out the team’s lack of a clear replacement for Shami, raising concerns about their bowling depth despite strong batting.
"Everyone let go of Livingstone at base price. If you had already decided to go for him, you could have pocketed him for 2 crores itself. Their batting lineup is great, but who'll bowl the 20 overs for them? Do SRH really need a player like Livingstone? They let go of Shami. Who's the replacement for Shami? They could have planned it better, but they already had a good side. Yet, we all say good side, but they didn't qualify last year. They were down in the dumps like CSK last year," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
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“GT did not address their middle-order issues at all”
Srikkanth also slammed Gujarat Titans for overlooking their middle-order concerns, pointing out their dependence on the top three last season. He added that signing a player like Liam Livingstone could have been the ideal solution to bolster depth and stability in their batting lineup.
"They did not address their middle-order issues at all. Last season they qualified only because of their top three. They should have also targeted specific players like KKR for covering their middle-order issues. Are there no good middle-order batters at all around the world? Actually, Livingstone would have been an ideal fit for them," said Srikkanth.
