IPL 2021 Auction: Decoding focus areas of RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore had an eventful season in 2020 as compared to the previous few editions. The Virat Kohli-led side, who secured their first playoffs berth since 2016, were defeated in the Eliminator by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. After having released several players from the squad, the RCB will aim to make the most of the impending auction. Considering this, we decode their auction strategy.
RCB released quite a few marquee names ahead of auction
The RCB had released 10 players, including Chris Morris, Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, Umesh Yadav among others. They will also miss the services of Parthiv Patel (retired) and Dale Steyn (rest). Notably, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson (the player Zampa replaced last season) have been retained. Meanwhile, all-rounders Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel have been traded from the Delhi Capitals in an all-cash deal.
A look at the players released and retained by RCB
Players released: Chris Morris, Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana, Dale Steyn, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann, Parthiv Patel Players retained: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Joshua Philippe, Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahamad, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams (T), Harshal Patel (T)
Remaining purse of RCB: Rs. 35.40 crore
The RCB released a total of 10 players, including five foreigners and as many Indians ahead of the player auction. They now have 11 slots to fill in with a maximum of three overseas players. Meanwhile, they have a remaining purse of Rs. 35.40 crore.
RCB would want to strengthen the batting
Despite releasing Umesh, the RCB boast a star-studded pace attack in the form of Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj and the newly-traded Sams. The spin section is too bolstered with the presence of Yuzvendra Chahal, Zampa and Washington Sundar. However, the batting still looks dependant on Kohli and AB de Villiers. The RCB would want to rope in a couple of finishers in the roster.
