Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team management and the fans would have been shocked to hear the news that Liam Livingstone dropped from the England squad for T20 World Cup. Livingstone was bought at a hefty price of INR 13 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction by the Sunrisers. The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), earlier released the batting all-rounder after he scored only 112 runs at an average of 16 in IPL 2025. Let’s take a detailed look at how the 2026 SRH new player has performed leading up to the cash-rich league and the reasons behind his downfall.

Why Was Liam Livingstone Sidelined from England’s T20I Squad?

Liam Livingstone made his T20I debut in 2017 and was soon dropped after disappointing performances in two innings. He then made a comeback four years later in June 2021. The next month witnessed Livingstone slamming his debut century during his knock of 103 off 43 against Pakistan in Nottingham.

A roller-coaster journey for Liam Livingstone: from a big IPL auction contract to losing his World Cup spot. 👀#Cricket #SRH #Livingstone pic.twitter.com/o4kSItpMEv

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) December 30, 2025

Then, the 32-year-old did not fare well in the 2021 T20 World Cup, scoring only 46 runs in three innings. However, Livingstone went on to retain his place in the T20I side on the back of career-best performances in the IPL 2022. He hit 437 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 182.08 for the Punjab Kings and was a backbone of their middle order.

England’s probable XI for the 2026 T20 World Cup 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿📋

How far will Harry Brook’s men go in the tournament? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/moz3aQiG8X

— Sport360° (@Sport360) December 30, 2025

The 2026 SRH new player endured a strictly average run with the bat in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup, where he scored 55 runs at an average of 27.50. Meanwhile, he also picked up three wickets in the tournament. Liam Livingstone’s 2023 was a mixed bag, where he got good starts but failed to convert on most occasions. Meanwhile, he did well in 2024, amassing 264 runs at an average of 33, including an 87-run knock against Australia. However, he could score only 72 runs in four innings during the T20 World Cup.

Bring it on! 🔥

Our provisional 15-strong squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka 💪 pic.twitter.com/KFKGwOZC20

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 30, 2025

The lack of runs in the last 10 T20Is has resulted in Liam Livingstone dropped from the England squad for T20 World Cup. During this time, he has scored 140 runs in eight innings at an average of 17.5, with a top score of 43.

Liam Livingstone’s T20I Stats

Overall, Liam Livingstone has been a failed performer for England in the shortest format, despite showing promise of being a bright batting all-rounder. He has the skills to succeed as a batter in the middle overs and provide a strong flourish with his explosive power. However, he has not balanced both his playing styles to contribute handsomely and has been dismissed while trying too hard to play a big shot. With only two fifties and a hundred in 60 innings, his ratio of converting starts into big scores have been quite low.

🚨Liam Livingstone in T20s after IPL 2025 🚨

𝟕𝟏𝟗 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝟑𝟕.𝟖𝟒 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐑 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟔𝟎.𝟏𝟑

England have still left him out for next year’s T20 World Cup 👀 pic.twitter.com/bEIQie3iP1

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 30, 2025

Moreover, he has picked 33 wickets and possesses the skill to bowl more overs and secure more breakthroughs. If he could have contributed a little more with the bowl, he had a slim chance to make it to the England squad for T20 World Cup.

Is Liam Livingstone’s Form a Worrying Sign for SRH?

The Hyderabad-based franchise paid a huge price to secure the services of Liam Livingstone due to his all-round abilities. They lacked a potent spin all-rounder in the IPL 2025 squad, who could increase the team’s tempo in the slog overs. SRH are top-heavy with the presence of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, and Ishan Kishan. However, they needed an experienced batter in the middle order to resurrect the team’s innings in case of early collapse.

We will be 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 the dream together from here, Liam 🫶✨

[Liam Livingstone | TATA IPL Auction | Play With Fire] pic.twitter.com/a9d44ZI0gJ

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) December 16, 2025

The news of Liam Livingstone dropped came after his inconsistent showing in ILT20 2025-26. Apart from his impressive knocks of 82* and 76, Livingstone has fared badly, accumulating only 218 runs at an average of 27.25. The 2026 SRH new player needs to curate a clear strategy and plan out different scenarios to succeed against the finest bowlers around the world. Although he has the raw power to hit the balls far away, he needs to be intelligent enough to be selective with his shot-making to play a big knock. If Liam Livingstone can contribute a quick 30-40 in most of his innings, it’s a win-win situation for him and the team management. He will justify his price and also help SRH post/chase big totals.

More firepower added to the mix 💪

🎥 Relive @SunRisers‘ bid for Liam Livingstone at a staggering INR 13 Crore 🧡 #TATAIPL | #TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/wtG8jubarj

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) December 16, 2025

Overall, Liam Livingstone needs to have a clear headspace ahead of IPL 2026 and erase any doubts about his abilities. In addition to playing his natural game, Livingstone needs to be calculative regarding the team’s requirement to contribute to a win. Meanwhile, SRH have bet on the right player, who, unfortunately, has failed to arrest his slide in the T20s. However, with the right team environment and license to play with positive intent, Livingstone can produce his best-ever IPL season.