IPL 2022 Auction- RCB in desperate search for a captain: Being a team sport, success in cricket is not dictated by superstars a team might have in its ranks. Individual brilliance can provide a team with a few miraculous victories, but it takes combined efforts from all eleven players to win titles – Royal Challengers Bangalore can testify to this statement.
IPL 2022 Auction: Royal Challengers Bangalore in desperate search for a captain, check retained players, auction strategy and remaining purse – All you need to know
They have always had superstars in their lineups, from the now Indian coach Rahul Dravid in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, to the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle. Yet, they never have really gelled as a unit, and the title has remained elusive.
IPL 2022 Auction: Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021
IPL 2022 Auction: The last edition was one of RCB’s better campaigns in this tournament, as they managed to make it to the playoffs for the seventh time. Virat Kohli’s team finished third in the league phase but their journey was brought to a halt by Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator, where the boys in red suffered a 4-wicket defeat.
It also marked the end of Virat Kohli’s reign as the captain of the side. The former Indian skipper has led RCB in 140 matches and has emerged victoriously in 64 of those games, thereby maintaining a win percentage of nearly 50%.
IPL 2022 Auction: Royal Challengers Bangalore in desperate search for a captain, check retained players, auction strategy and remaining purse – All you need to know
IPL 2022 Auction: Players retained by RCB for IPL 2022
RCB have retained three players for the upcoming edition of the annual cricketing extravaganza in Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj. Kohli’s price at INR 15 crore is the highest of the trio, with Aussie all-rounder Maxwell getting INR 11 crores and Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj bagging an INR 7 crore contract.
Having spent a total of INR 33 crore on these three players, Bangalore will have a purse of INR 57 crore to spend at the auction table, which reportedly will be held on 12th and 13th February. RCB’s retention list raised a few eyebrows, as many expected them to retain Harshal Patel, the bowler who won the Purple Cup last season. Besides Patel, 21-year-old opening batter Devdutt Padikkal could also have a been good retention, given that the youngster has scored nearly 900 runs in only 29 IPL matches at an average of over 30.
IPL 2022 Auction: Royal Challengers Bangalore in desperate search for a captain, check retained players, auction strategy and remaining purse – All you need to know
IPL 2022 Auction: RCB’s Auction Strategy for IPL 2022
Since we will be having a mega auction this time around with every team starting with a clean slate, a few targets will be common in all ten wishlists. That being said, there are a few positions Bangalore will be desperately trying to fill. Let us have a look at their potential strategy for IPL 2022:
- Finding a captain
With Virat Kohli stepping down from captaincy, Bengaluru will need a new leader. They could target these three players at the auction:
Shreyas Iyer: Barring a few Australians, overseas captains have not particularly been successful in this competition. From the Indian contingent in the auction pool, Shreyas Iyer seems to be the number one candidate for becoming a leader. He has led Delhi Capitals in this tournament previously and is also a part of the current Indian national team set-up. Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, two teams who are also looking for a captain, could also be interested in Iyer.
David Warner: David Warner is one of the three foreign captains to have lifted the coveted trophy. The swashbuckling Aussie batter has led Sunrisers Hyderabad in 68 matches and has won 35 of those games. If Bangalore manages to acquire his service, we could see a power-packed opening pair of Virat Kohli and David Warner.
Jason Holder: This seems to be a long shot, but Bangalore can opt for another overseas captaincy option in Jason Holder. The Caribbean all-rounder has an enormous wealth of experience and has led his national team in 32 Test matches, 86 ODI matches and also three T20I matches. He also has form in his favour, having picked up a hat-trick against England recently.
- Yuzvendra Chahal’s alternative
Besides finding a team leader, Bangalore will also need to find a leader for their spin department after releasing Yuzvendra Chahal. Ravichandran Ashwin, the former captain of Punjab Kings, could be the perfect replacement, while Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla are among other decent Indian options. Among the overseas spinners, the likes of Adam Zampa, Wanindu Hasaranga and Adil Rashid could be clever acquisitions.
- Forming a new pace battery
Though Mohammed Siraj has been retained, RCB will be looking to invest heavily in their pace department after letting Harshal Patel go. Youngsters like Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna have done well in recent times and they also are a part of the current national team roster. From the experienced Indian options, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami could be decent options. Among the overseas names, Pat Cummins, Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada will be in demand.
IPL 2022 Auction: Royal Challengers Bangalore in desperate search for a captain, check retained players, auction strategy and remaining purse – All you need to know
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