3 weaknesses RCB failed to solve at IPL 2024 auction
Royal Challengers Bangalore's 2024 IPL Auction outing has once again left their fans with mixed emotions. RCB had a lot of eyes on them going into the big day after releasing several players beforehand.
They spent big to bring Australian all-rounder Cameron Green to their side and also swapped Shahbaz Ahmed for Mayank Dagar in the trade window. They needed the auction to plug the final holes in their squad, which some fans feel was not done properly on December 19.
While some of their picks are shrewd buys, most purchases have left onlookers questioning the strategy behind the move. On that note, let's take a look at three areas where RCB failed to deliver in the auction:
#3 Lower middle-order power
Having Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and the impressive Rajat Patidar gives RCB one of the best top-four lineups in the league. However, the problem, as it was last year and as it has been over several seasons, is the lower middle order.
Coach Andy Flower has been pretty vocal about how they look at Cameron Green as solving that issue in the lower middle order. However, the IPL 2023 season showed that Green struggled for Mumbai Indians (MI) in most of the innings where he had to bat lower in the order.
Should the young all-rounder fail to come good, RCB will be in trouble as they currently do not possess any recognised player (domestic or international) in that position. They could have tried going for someone like a Daryl Mitchell in the auction, who has nailed that role to perfection in white-ball cricket.
#2 Indian wicketkeeper
It was a rather unimpressive season for veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik in IPL 2023, who was eventually replaced by Anuj Rawat behind the stumps. However, even the youngster from Delhi bats higher in domestic cricket and has had to adapt to that finisher role with the bat.
Coming into the auction, an Indian wicketkeeper should have been a priority for the Royal Challengers, but they seemed content in going back to the two options that failed to work well last year.
#1 RCB's bowling looks weaker than that in IPL 2023
RCB were keen to revamp their bowling attack and they let of Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Josh Hazlewood for the same. They went big for Alzarri Joseph and Yash Dayal at the auction, getting them for a combined fee of ₹16.5 crore.
However, given that Reece Topley was impressive for them in the little game time he got and the batting line-up already filled with overseas stars, Joseph could well turn out to be a bench option. As for Dayal, his confidence hit at an all-time low in IPL 2023 after the carnage by Rinku Singh (five sixes in five deliveries in the last over to seal the game) and it remains to be seen how he bounces back.
It seems strange that the Bengaluru-based franchise went big for overseas pacers, but not quite the same for Indian options like Kartik Tyagi or Shivam Mavi. They are still heavily dependent on the likes of Karn Sharma and Mohammed Siraj to strike a purple patch, which can be even more difficult on a high-scoring venue like the Chinnaswamy Stadium.