IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith join PBKS; supporters hail new 'Kings'

Punjab Kings splurged on Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith on Day 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru on Sunday. The England batter was bought by PBKS for a whopping Rs 11.5 crore, making Livingstone the costliest overseas player in this year's auction. Meanwhile, the West Indies all-rounder, who displayed big-hitting ability in the recent ODI series against India, earned Rs 6 crore.

Livingstone, who was with the Rajasthan Royals last season, left the COVID-19 IPL bubble and flew home, citing fatigue as the reason. KKR and CSK entered the initial bidding war, with the latter opting out after the bid went past Rs 4 crore. Punjab Kings entered the fray and went toe to toe with the Kolkata-based franchise's bids. Gujarat Titans made a late appearance to compete with the Kings as the bids soared. SunRisers Hyderabad, too tried to swoop in with a late bid for Rs 10.75 crore. Eventually, Punjab Kings bagged the Englishman at Rs 11.5 crore.

As for Odean Smith, the power-hitting all-rounder has been impressive in the T20 circuit. During the CPL 2021, Smith was the second-highest wicket-taker and even splintered Chris Gayle's bat. In the just-concluded ODI series against India, the West Indian scored 60 runs in 2 matches at a strike rate of 157.89 and picked three wickets, including Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant in the second ODI.

Fans expressed joy over the two new signings and took to Twitter to hail the new 'Kings' of the Punjab IPL team. Meanwhile, cricket pundits too had their say about both Livingstone and Smith.

On Saturday, Punjab Kings re-signed Shahrukh Khan for a whopping nine crore after securing the services of Shikhar Dhawan and South African pacer Kagiso Rabada for Rs. 8.25 and 9.25 crore, respectively. The team also signed Jonny Bairstow and bought former Mumbai Indians player Rahul Chahar for Rs. 5.25 crore.

Coming into the auction, PBKS were hit by a major blow as star batter KL Rahul, their captain in the last two seasons, decided to leave the franchise. In his four-year stay at PBKS, Rahul scored over 550 runs in every season and won the Orange Cap in the 2020 season.

Punjab Kings retained two players in opener Mayank Agarwal and uncapped left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. While Mayank is a contender to lead the team, PBKS could buy a new captain at the auction.