England batter Liam Livingstone has opened up about the nature of pitches in the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that flat surfaces are draining the game of any real skill.
Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast alongside hosts Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, David “Bumble” Lloyd and Phil Tufnell, Livingstone did not hold back.
“We played Mumbai and I think we chased 230 or 240 in 18 overs. And I was like, it’s actually quite boring. Just watching people go six, six, six. Like there’s no real… skill involved, like the pitches were so flat and the impact player just brings in… the boundaries are big enough, but the pitches are so flat and at Mumbai the ball absolutely flies,” he said.
The conversation also moved toward broader structural reform.
Vaughan put forward a proposal that benched IPL players should be allowed to return to their home countries, play domestic cricket, and rejoin their franchises when called upon.
Livingstone featured in IPL 2026 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who signed him for 13 crore Indian rupees at the auction after his release from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
His season with SRH proved underwhelming as he scored just 15 runs in two matches.
