Big Players RCB should target from their previous squad in IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has been a star-studded IPL team for decades now. The likes of Rahul Dravid, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Zaheer Khan, Dale Steyn etc have provided their services to the team and have done fairly well.
Despite being a quality team, RCB has always fallen a few steps short of its destination. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) led by Virat Kohli hasn’t won a single IPL title since the inception of the tournament.
However, the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has provided all franchises with a chance to rebuild their squads according to their need and bring in some quality players. Ahead of the mega auction, the franchises were allowed to retain a maximum of four players while the rest of the players will head to the auction table.
Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammad Siraj have been retained by RCB during the recent player’s retention, however, the franchise would like to keep a few other players from their previous squad in the IPL 2022. Here in this article, we will take you through big players RCB should target from their previous squad in IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
Big Players RCB should target from their previous squad in IPL 2022 Mega Auction
Devdutt Padikkal:
Young southpaw Devdutt Padikkal’s exclusion from RCB’s retention list was a bitter pill to consume for the RCB fans. The franchise owe a lot of their IPL 2020 success to the opener who scored 473 runs at an average of 31.53.
Padikkal debuted for RCB during IPL 2020 and was a massive find for the team as RCB, in the past, has struggled to produce a formidable opening pair. Padikkal not only provided a solid opening partnership but also created a bridge for the middle-order batsman to come and whack the bowler.
Everyone was in awe of the cricketer’s technique and he went ahead to become RCB’s mainstay. He also won the Emerging Player award in the IPL 2020 for his stunning debut in the cash-rich league.
The IPL 2021 for Devdutt Padikkal wasn’t a breakthrough season, though he still managed to score decent runs for his team. He amassed 411 in 14 innings at an average of 31.61. His maiden T20 century also came in IPL 2021 where he smacked unbeaten 101 runs.
RCB will be eyeing the Karnataka batsman from the auction table. The franchise would love to have him back in the squad again.
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Yuzvendra Chahal:
Seasoned leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s drop from the RCB squad hasn’t sank well among the fans. How can a team leave out their best performing bowler ahead of the mega auction?
Chahal is a leading wicket-taker for RCB. The spinner has scalped 139 wickets for the franchise in 113 matches. His best figures (4/25) came against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) during the IPL 2016.
The 31-years old spinner wasn’t in great form during the IPL 2021 phase 1, however, he revived his form during phase 2 and scalped 18 massive wickets for the team in that particular season.
RCB will definitely bid for Yuzvendra Chahal during the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
Harshal Patel:
Haryana pacer Harshal Patel, popularly known as Purple Patel, endured a breakthrough season in the recently held IPL 2021. Patel was traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of the IPL 2021 by Delhi Capitals (DC) in an all-cash deal.
The speedster, who was eyeing an opportunity, grabbed his chance at RCB with both hands wide open as he became the highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2021. The pacer solved RCB’s weakness of leaking hefty runs at the death and scalped most of his wickets in the dangerous phase of the innings.
Harshal Patel ended with 32 wickets, equalling Dwayne Bravo’s record of most wickets in a single season. He earned the Purple Cap award for his magnificent bowling display during the season.
Though it was expected that Harshal wouldn’t get a place in RCB’s retention, but the franchise would be hoping to get him from the auction at any cost.
KS Bharat:
KS Bharat has been in the limelight for his sensational work behind the stumps for team India during the recent home Test series against New Zealand. He came as a cover of Wriddhiman Saha, who suffered a stiff neck, and grabbed the opportunity with his fine glovework.
Bharat was also involved in the IPL 2021 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was part of the team as the wicketkeeper-batsman replacing AB de Villiers. He was excellent behind the stumps and took a few stunners to shake the entire cricketing world.
Further, Bharat’s heroics with a final ball six against Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2021 to take his team to the winning side has become a magic moment of his life. He scored an unbeaten 78 runs in 52 deliveries with the help of 4 sixes and 3 boundaries.
It is noteworthy that AB de Villiers will no longer play cricket and RCB will need someone like KS Bharat who can keep the wickets for them. Surely the franchise will bid for Bharat.