IPL Auction 2026: Former coach explains why Liam Livingstone could be LSG's next finisher

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif suggests Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) might target England's batting all-rounder Liam Livingstone at the upcoming IPL 2026 mini auction to strengthen their lower-order batting after releasing David Miller, with the team having Rs 22.95 crore to fill six slots including four overseas player positions.

LSG is looking to find a suitable replacement for David Miller, who was released ahead of the auction.



"One name that comes to mind is Liam Livingstone. He plays the role of a finisher and plays at number five or six. With them releasing Miller, his direct replacement option is Livingstone. He bowls as well and although his current form is not good, but I think he has a lot of experience and his strike rate is quite high. So instead of David Miller, Lucknow would like to run behind Livingstone because you have three overseas batters in Pooran, Markram and Marsh, and you need a finisher who can play at number five or six for Lucknow," Kaif told IANS.

The team has strengthened its Indian pace attack by acquiring Mohammed Shami and Arjun Tendulkar, providing backup for injury-prone pacers Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, and Mayank Yadav.

Kaif believes LSG should consider South African pacers Anrich Nortje or Lungi Ngidi as overseas fast bowling options.

"First of all, I pray and hope that Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav are close to being fully fit, as it's almost 5-6 months now. Lucknow will be praying that they recover and come back to action. Now the second question is, who should they target? I think they need overseas fast bowlers. There are options in Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi. Nortje could be an option because Lucknow has a large ground, a square boundary, and a red soil pitch, which can help him in generating good bounce and pace. So they can target Nortje as well, but as I said earlier, the injured players should be fit, and then pick either Nortje or Ngidi as an option," he explained.

In the spin department, Digvesh Rathi is currently LSG's only wrist-spin option after releasing Ravi Bishnoi.

The team needs to strengthen their spin bowling with an experienced player to support Rathi and provide variety in middle-overs bowling.

"One issue is that there may not be enough purse left for Lucknow to buy Bishnoi back. Lucknow won't be able to afford him at an expensive price. KKR are having a lot of money, and then Chennai is also there. So I think that by the time Bishnoi's number comes, a lot of people will want to run behind him. Now Digvesh Rathi has become their premier leg spinner. Pant also likes him because he bowls in the power-play, and takes wickets in the middle overs. With Rathi becoming Pant's favourite, who will bowl with him now? Lucknow won't be able to afford a spinner at an expensive price there. They won't be able to save that much money. So Lucknow will focus on the untapped leg and left-arm spinners who can come at a cheap price at the auction," Kaif added.