England all-rounder Liam Livingstone was snapped up by the Punjab Kings for $1.53 million at the players auction for this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) Sunday.

Australia's World-Cup winning skipper Aaron Finch and England white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan, in the meantime, went unsold.

Morgan's teammate Jofra Archer was bought by Mumbai Indians for 80 million Indian rupees ($1.06 million) even though the fast bowler, recovering from an elbow surgery, is unlikely to play in this year's tournament.

England spin-bowling power-hitter Livingstone triggered a five-way bidding war which Punjab clinched by forking out 115 million Indian rupees ($1.53 million) for him.

Livingstone smashed a 43-ball 103 in a T20 match against Pakistan last year and the 28-year-old, who can mix off-breaks and leg-breaks, was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the men's Hundred competition in 2021.

Finch led Australia to its maiden T20 World Cup title last year but did not interest any of the league's 10 franchises on the second and final day of the auction in Bengaluru.

Compatriots Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan Coulter-Nile, as well as England batsman Dawid Malan also went unsold.

There was a healthy appetite for quick bowlers in the two-day auction but South African Lungi Ngidi went unsold.

The 15th edition of the world's richest cricket league will begin in the last week of March with two new franchises – Lucknow and Ahmedabad – taking part.