New Delhi, Nov 24: Former India captain Anil Kumble believes that Liam Livingstone’s high price was likely a factor in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s decision to release him into the IPL 2026 auction pool.

Livingstone played for RCB in their title-winning IPL 2025 season after being bought for Rs. 8.75 crore at last year’s mega auction. However, he had an underwhelming time – scoring 112 runs in eight innings with a strike rate of 133.33, including one half-century, and taking two wickets in nine overs with an economy rate of 8.44.

It would be interesting to see if RCB or any other team ropes him in for the IPL 2026 auction, to be held in Abu Dhabi, on December 16. “Releases are always tough calls. Liam Livingstone is someone I enjoyed working with closely, and he was extremely good for Punjab in IPL 2022, probably his best IPL season. He can change the game single-handedly in just a few overs with his powerful batting.”

“What makes him special is his bowling flexibility; he bowls leg spin to right-handers and off spin to left-handers, plus he’s a good fielder, making him a complete package. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great IPL season for RCB last year and also missed out on selection for England.”

“Otherwise, I’m sure other franchises would be interested in him. His high price tag was likely a factor in the release. RCB also needs to find backup options, both an overseas fast bowler and an Indian fast bowler to support their main bowling attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. This need for bowling depth might be another reason behind this tough call,” said Kumble, a former RCB skipper, on JioStar.

Saba Karim, former India wicketkeeper-batter and national selector, questioned RCB’s decision to release young batter Swastik Chikara. “It’s a splendid position for RCB to be finally being called as the defending champions. Talking about their auction plans, they can still buy back Liam Livingstone in the mini-auction if he doesn’t go for too high a price.”

“I’m also surprised they didn’t retain Swastik Chikara, who was an excellent buy last season after his prolific performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I was actually expecting him to get a game, but he didn’t play a single match and now, hasn’t been retained. If RCB wants to strengthen their batting lineup, there are several Indian uncapped batsmen they can target in the auction to build their squad depth for the upcoming season,” he added.

Guwahati, Nov 22: Ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah brought a long-awaited breakthrough for India by dismissing Aiden Markram on the stroke of tea, as South Africa reached 82/1 in 26.5 overs against India at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Bumrah had created an opportunity earlier in the first session, but KL Rahul failed to hold on to a sharp chance at slip, giving Markram a life on four. But the right-handed opener eventually fell in the final over before the 20-minute tea break by chopping on to his stumps off Bumrah.

Until that dismissal, Markram and Ryan Rickelton looked largely assured. It would be interesting to see if India, who toiled hard for the majority of the first session, will be able to capitalise on the breakthrough from Bumrah and gain an edge over the Proteas in the second session.

In the morning, after electing to bat first on a fresh red soil pitch, Markram and Rickelton ensured South Africa had a steady start against new ball bowlers Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The duo got decent carry and swing, though two sets of byes went against wicketkeeper and skipper Rishabh Pant’s name.

Though the atmosphere was subdued at India’s newest Test venue due to sparse attendance, which was in complete contrast to the well‑attended Eden Gardens Test last week, Bumrah and Siraj continued to keep the openers in check. Markram finally opened his account with a solid punch off Bumrah for four, before surviving a dropped catch by Rahul at slip.

With Siraj bowling touch too full and wide, Markram and Rickelton found a few boundaries off him, as South Africa reached 34/0 at the first drinks break. Nitish Kumar Reddy struggled for consistency – drifting onto the pads too often and conceding boundaries to Markram, while Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar found some turn and bounce, though Rickelton got streaky boundaries off them.

Captain Pant’s decision to bring Bumrah late in the session to deliver the breakthrough paid off when he dismissed Markram and Rahul, who had earlier spilled a chance of him, had a smile full of relief on his face as India finally had a wicket before tea.

Brief Scores: South Africa 82/1 in 26.5 overs (Aiden Markram 38, Ryan Rickelton 35 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 1-7) against India.

Mumbai, Nov 21: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Friday that it is inviting applications for the position of Head – Cricket Education at its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

The position was held till recently by former India cricketer Sujith Somasunder, who is now contesting for Vice President’s post in the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) elections as a member of the Venkatesh Prasad-led panel.

“This full-time position is central to BCCI’s long-term vision of developing a world-class cricket education system that supports coaches, athletes, state academies and high-performance programs across the country. The Head – Cricket Education will oversee the design, delivery and continuous advancement of cricket and sports-science education at the COE,” BCCI said in a release.

The role is open to candidates up to the age of 58 and the term of work to be determined as per the employment offer. Applications must be submitted by 5 pm IST on December 8. Following screening and shortlisting, selected candidates may be invited for personal interviews as part of the evaluation process.

The ideal candidate’s qualifications and experience should be to have a proven track record in developing and delivering cricket‑education programmes. Applicants must be an active Level‑3 coach (or higher) with impeccable credentials, international playing or coaching experience preferred.

They should also have a strong background in coach training, player‑progress reporting and high‑performance systems is required, along with a minimum of five years’ experience working with elite athletes; prior experience as a trainer with cricket players is essential.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate excellent communication skills and the ability to work with diverse groups across domestic and high‑performance ecosystems, coupled with high integrity, discipline, people‑assessment skills and leadership ability.

The selected applicant will be responsible for administering all aspects of coach education, accreditation and curriculum development at the CoE, including planning, implementing and reviewing all coaching courses, including Level A, B and C programmes, as well as conducting and coordinating nationwide refresher courses for coaches.

The candidate should also know about using modern performance-analysis tools such as athlete-management systems, video analytics, GPS and wearable technology to derive actionable game insights, as well as collaborate with the Head of Cricket, CoE, on online education initiatives and the development of advanced coaching modules.

The person will also be managing the re-accreditation process for coaches and ensuring world-class documentation of coaching content, as well as work with BCCI’s Umpires Panel and Head Curator on educational seminars, examinations and specialised training interventions.

Other responsibilities include supporting coach-intake processes for CoE, Zonal Cricket Academies and specialist camps and assessing suspect bowling actions referred to the CoE and presenting findings to relevant committees.