3 RCB players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have always been one of the most high-profile teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the 2023 edition, RCB will have world-class players like Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood turn out for them. All of them are contracted to the franchise for whopping amounts that bore a hole in the team's budget.
At the same time, Bangalore have a bunch of players who are on cut-price deals and offer more to the franchise than their price tags suggest.
Here are three RCB players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts.
#3 Manoj Bhandage
Manoj Bhandage in Col CK Nayudu Trophy so far:
Innings: 8
Runs: 465
Avg: 58.13
HS: 160
100s: 2
50s: 1
Wickets: 11
4W: 2
SR: 25.27
#ColCKNayudu
Manoj Bhandage was the only local player RCB signed at the IPL 2023 auction. While it wasn't a surprise to see Bangalore go after the youngster, it was certainly a shock that they faced no competition to acquire his services.
Bhandage is a hard-hitting pace-bowling all-rounder, a style of player who is heavily coveted in every franchise competition in the world. He had an excellent domestic white-ball season with Karnataka and has been one of the standout players in the Col CK Nayudu Trophy as well.
Bhandage has only 16 T20 matches under his belt, and the other teams perhaps wanted more proven performers. At ₹20 lakh, though, RCB pulled off a total steal.
#2 Rajat Patidar
#Prep #BCCI #IndianCricketTeam https://t.co/Ivi6XodsuP
Rajat Patidar went unsold in the IPL 2022 mega-auction despite playing four games for RCB in the 2021 season. An injury to Luvnith Sisodia meant that Bangalore signed the batter as a replacement, and he made the most of his second stint.
In eight matches in IPL 2022, Patidar racked up 333 runs at an average of 55.5 and a strike rate of 152.75. The Madhya Pradesh player hammered an unbeaten 112 against the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator to take RCB into Qualifier 2.
Patidar is on a ₹20 lakh contract right now, an amount that is definitely far below what a player of his ability commands. He has been immensely consistent in domestic cricket and has been in and around the Indian ODI setup as well. The 29-year-old is bound to play an important role for RCB in IPL 2023.
#1 Shahbaz Ahmed
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were interested in signing Shahbaz Ahmed during the IPL 2022 mega-auction, but RCB got their man for ₹2.4 crore. While that isn't cheap by any stretch of the imagination, Faf du Plessis and Co. have a serious all-rounder on their hands who can contribute to the side in various ways.
Shahbaz played all 16 games for RCB in IPL 2022, recording 219 runs, picking up four wickets, and taking eight catches. His bowling wasn't utilized much as Bangalore went in with a pace-heavy attack, but he was promoted up the order whenever necessary and got the team out of tricky situations.
Shahbaz is only going to improve with time, and an increased bowling role will go a long way in solidifying his value to RCB. All-rounders generally don't come cheap, but the three-time IPL finalists have a quality one on their hands without significantly denting their budget.