"We're defending that title, no more Livingstone to stop us" - Fans react to RCB releasing star England all-rounder at IPL 2026 retention deadline

The 2025 IPL champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), released star England all-rounder Liam Livingstone at the IPL 2026 retention deadline on Saturday, November 15. The 32-year-old was one of the franchise's big buys at the IPL 2025 auction for ₹8.75 crore.

However, Livingstone failed to live up to expectations, except for a few flashes of brilliance. The right-hander scored only 112 runs in 10 games at a dismal average of 16 and a strike rate of 133.33 with a lone half-century.

Yet, the Englishman produced a crucial 15-ball 25 in the grand finale, helping RCB post a healthy total and eventually win their maiden IPL title. He also took a sensational catch on the boundary to dismiss dangerman Josh Inglis for 39.

Fans on X had mixed feelings about RCB releasing Liam Livingstone at the retention deadline. While some believe the franchise made the right decision, others pointed to his clutch performance in the final as a reason to retain the England all-rounder.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Fans continued to react to Liam Livingstone's release, with one saying:

"Livingstone is the best player released by RCB." "Yes we're defending that title. No more Livingstone to stop us," posted a fan. "Livingstone gave 2 god knocks. One 50+ early in the group stage and that Cameo in the final," a fan said.

RCB release seven other players apart from Liam Livingstone

Despite winning their maiden IPL title this year, RCB did not stand still at the IPL 2026 retention deadline. The franchise released a total of eight players, four each from Indian and overseas players.

Livingstone aside, RCB also released Lungi Ngidi, Tim Seifert, and Blessing Muzarabani as the other overseas players. Among the Indian releases, Mayank Agarwal created the most headlines, followed by Swastik Chikara, Mohit Rathee, and Manoj Bhandage.

It means RCB are left with a purse of ₹16.40 crore for the upcoming IPL 2026 auction next month. The franchise will look to become only the third to successfully defend their title, following the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), who achieved the same in 2011 and 2020.

RCB finished second in the standings in IPL 2025, winning nine out of 14 matches. They ousted the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 and the final to pull off their first IPL title after a 17-year drought.

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran