Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) has made drastic changes in their team composition and administrative setup ahead of the 2020 Indian Premier League auction. Mike Hesson was made the Director of Cricket Operations at the franchise and he has been going rounds across India watching domestic tournaments to take note of players for the auction.
RCB has released seven foreign players and they have six overseas slots available to fill in the auction. With a full revamp auction awaiting next year, teams are looking to pick the best team for the upcoming year. RCB will be looking for a couple of foreign fast bowlers and a middle-order all-rounder who can provide with a couple of overs as well.
READ: https://penbugs.com/ipl2020-top-five-players-csk-might-go-for-in-the-auction/
Players Released: Shimron Hetmeyer, Dale Steyn, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee.
Players Retained: Squad: Virat Kohli, Moeen Ali, Yuzvendra Chahal, AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Mann, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini.
Purse Remaining: Rs 27.90 crore
Slot Remaining: 12 (six overseas)
Overseas pace options
Pat Cummins(Rs 2 crore) is on the top of the world right now as the number one ranked Test bowler. Ever since Cummins made his comeback in 2017 he has risen up the ladder in no time and remained injury-free so far.
In the absence of Mitchell Starc, whom RCB was expected to be back in the auction, Cummins will be one of the most sought after foreign bowlers in the auction. With a purse of Rs 27. 9 crores, RCB can go all-out for Cummins and provided that he is available for the entire season, Cummins could lead the bowling attack to their maiden title at RCB. Chris Jordan is another overseas fast bowler whom RCB can go for in the auction. Having played for them already in the past, he may know a thing or two about the conditions in Bangalore. Also, the fact that he is good form especially in the T20I series against New Zealand. At a base price of Rs 75 lakhs, Jordan can be a budget buy who can be handy in the death for RCB with Navdeep Saini and Umesh Yadav handling the new ball in the powerplay.
Mustafizur Rahman is back at the auction and the Bangladeshi seamer might go to RCB this year. We have seen that the Bangalore wickets have behaved differently in the recent past. Unlike being a batting paradise the venue has become a bit slow or rather two-paced in the last couple of seasons. On such wickets, there are a few left-arm seamers who make the most and can be effective. Jaydev Unadkat is one from the Indian lot. Mustafizur is another whose cutters and yorkers can be more than handy in Bangalore. At a base price of Rs one crore, the lanky Bangladeshi seamer could be an addition to the Bangalore pace attack.
Overseas All-rounders
Glenn Maxwell(Base price Rs 2 crore) is back to play cricket after a break he took to address his mental health issues. Also, he is back in the auction as Delhi Capitals has released him. The swashbuckling Australian is a big name in the auction although he hasn’t had a breakthrough season post-2014. And RCB is one among the three franchises who can afford to go after Maxwell in the auction. With their dependence on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers getting overbearing, an experienced T20 batsman like Maxwell to bat alongside them can make it a formidable middle-order. Maxwell can chip-in a few overs as well if required. Maxwell will make the owners spend some substantial amount in the auction and RCB might be one among them.
Chris Green (Base price Rs 20 lakhs) is an uncapped Australian all-rounder who can turn head at the auction. His ability to bowl quiet overs in the middle and hit the ball long is something fans and the coaches are taking note off. Among the big names in the auction, he could be a surprise buy at his base price and has the potential to take the tournament by storm. If RCB is not able to get Maxwell or any other experienced foreign players, Green could be the one they might go for.
Apart from the players we have mentioned here, Carlos Brathwaite, Shahrukh Khan, Robin Uthappa, Alex Carey are a few other players whom Mike Hesson and Virat Kohli might have an eye on in the auction.
