IPL 2022 Auction: Decoding the squad of Royal Challengers Bangalore
What's the story
The three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) finalists Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have assembled a decent squad ahead of the 2022 edition.
RCB began the IPL auction with a purse of Rs. 57 crore after retaining three players - Virat Kohli (Rs. 15 crore), Australian Glenn Maxwell (Rs. 11 crore), and Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj (Rs. 7 crore).
Here we decode RCB's squad.
RCB
Presenting the complete squad of RCB
Complete RCB squad: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudessai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Siddarth Kaul, Luvnith Sisodia, David Willey.
Buys
Key buys during the auction
RCB broke the bank to acquire the services of 2021 Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel and Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga
RCB are paying Rs. 10.75 crore each for Harshal and Hasaranga.
They have also found a perfect opener in Faf du Plessis. RCB spent Rs. 7 crore to buy the veteran star.
Bangalore shelled out Rs. 7.75 crore for Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood.
Playing XI
What can be RCB's playing XI in IPL 2022?
RCB could see Faf and Virat Kohli open the batting.
New Zealand's Finn Allen could come in at number three.
Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik could be used in the number four and five positions respectively.
Mahipal Lomror and Hasaranga could follow suit. Shahbaz Ahmed can be the second spin option.
Hazlewood, Harshal, and Mohammed Siraj are set to be the primary pacers.
Skipper
Who will lead RCB in 2022?
Maxwell has emerged as the front-runner for the captaincy role in RCB after Kohli stepped down from the position last year.
Maxwell was RCB's standout performer in 2021, scoring 513 runs in 15 games at 42.75. He also picked three wickets.
However, RCB now have another captaincy option in Du Plessis.
Du Plessis has also led the South African team in the past.
Rating: 7.5/10
RCB do not have the desired bench strength in batting
RCB will look at Kohli and Faf for giving them the structure in batting.
Having strong all-rounders like Maxwell and Hasaranga gives the Bangalore-based outfit the added push.
RCB have quality bowlers in Hazlewood, Harshal, and Siraj.
Veteran keeper Dinesh Karthik could be influential as well.
Sherfane Rutherford and Jason Behrendorff are key backups on the bench.
However, RCB lack the desired depth.