3 players who can replace Brendon McCullum at RCB
As the fans get acquainted with all the exercises of the trade window ahead of the IPL 2019 auction, a few big names have already started grabbing the headlines for their exclusions by the respective franchises.
Among the many high-profile releases is New Zealand's former skipper, Brendon McCullum. Omitted by Royal Challengers Bangalore, McCullum is likely to don new colours once again in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
The 2018 auction saw three teams compete to purchase the dashing batsman before RCB walked away with the final honours, spending 3.6 crores. Given his blazing heroics at the Chinnaswamy stadium in the inaugural game of the IPL, much was expected of McCullum in 2018. However, much to the disappointment of his fans, the New Zealander failed with the bat for the men in red and ended up scoring just 127 runs in 6 outings, with a top score of 43.
Now, with McCullum and Quinton de Kock released, RCB would be looking to place its bets on bankable and dashing batsmen who would provide the much-needed firepower at the top of the order. Here are 3 suitable replacements for Brendon McCullum, who might just be able to give the bang for the buck for RCB.
#3 Alex Hales
In the recent past, Alex Hales has been one of England's most prolific run-scorers in the white-ball formats. Forging a formidable combination with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, the tall Englishman has been one of the main reasons behind England's boisterous in the limited over formats.
Representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, Hales came as a replacement for David Warner. However, the 29-year-old couldn't quite replicate Warner's dynamism as an opener and could manage just 148 runs in 6 games for the orange army, thereby prompting the franchise to release him for the next year.
But given his prowess with the bat, Hales would certainly be looking to make amends in the upcoming edition. A big-hitter, who could single-handedly change the dynamics of an innings on his day, the opening batsman would certainly be on the radar of RCB in the auction.