Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
IPL mega-auctions are just a few days ahead, and teams have already geared up to prepare strategies for the same. Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of few franchises that are yet to lift the prestigious title, and to do so, the franchise, along with the staff, must be brainstorming over the players they want in their squad. As no one knows yet what must be going on in the franchise mind, SportsTiger attempts to decode the same.
Retained Players:
Virat Kohli (Rs 15 crores)
Glenn Maxwell (Rs. 11 crores)
Md. Siraj (Rs 7 crores)
Purse Amount deducted: 37 crore
Purse Amount left: 57 crore
Roles of Retained Players:
Virat Kohli (Batsman)
Md. Siraj (Bowler)
Glenn Maxwell (Batting)
No of Slots available: 22
Overseas Slots available: 7
What will RCB look for in IPL 2022 Mega Auctions?
Royal Challengers Bangalore will surely miss the services of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli, the captain. The franchise has already retained two batters who have the potential to turn the game in their favour in any given situation. Still, they will be hoping to buy a few young all-rounders and some extraordinary bowlers with similar capacity as their retained players for the upcoming edition.
Players who will be on RCB's radar:
Shreyas Iyer:
The prolific batsman will draw attention from a lot of franchises. He has decent experience leading the Delhi Capital in three seasons (2018, 2019, and 2020), including the final in 2020. However, the Delhi franchise later released Iyer and opted for Rishabh Pant. Still, it can be a blessing for many franchises seeking a prolific player like Iyer with such captaincy skills in their resume and the ability to start the innings.
David Warner:
RCB is known to have the world's most dangerous batters on their side, the presence of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli was evidence of the fact. David Warner is one of the most successful and consistent players in the game's shortest format. His performance in last year's T20 World Cup was the same testimony. Also, an IPL title while leading Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and exceptional pair of hands during fielding adds a feather to his cap. While many can argue that David's age could be a concerning factor for the franchise, he is good to go for five to six more years, considering his fitness.
Harshal Patel:
His exclusion from RCB's retention list shocked many, but the franchise can bring him back in the squad. Harshal Patel donned the purple cap and clinched 32 wickets in the 2021 season of the cash-rich league. He also shares the record of most wickets in a single IPL season with Dwayne Bravo. Even on his debut match against New Zealand, Patel won the Man of the Match award. Patel is expected to create a bidding war amongst franchises with such skills and capacity, but RCB may go to any extent to bring him back.