3 players the Royal Challengers Bangalore could target in the IPL auction
For a team with so many world-class players in their squad, it’s a mystery as to why the Royal Challengers Bangalore haven’t had more success in the IPL.
In Virat Kohli, RCB have perhaps the finest batter in world cricket, and one of the greatest to have played the white ball game. He is the IPL’s all-time leading run-scorer with 5,412 runs to his name, 973 of them coming in a magnificent 2016 season where RCB finished as runners-up.
Over the last few years, they have also had Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers as part of their top order. De Villiers will be back at the Chinnaswamy Stadium this year and will hope to help RCB to their first IPL title.
Their record since losing the final in 2016 has been poor. They finished 8th in both 2017 and 2019, and 6th in 2018. For a team with the caliber of players that RCB have available to them, that simply isn’t good enough.
There will certainly be changes this year, with the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Colin de Grandhomme all released, alongside, surprisingly, the very talented Shimron Hetmyer.
With all those players gone, here are three players RCB could target to take their place.
#1 Mohit Sharma
One thing that has really let Bangalore down in recent years is their bowling, which has seen them constantly leak runs throughout the innings. They will want to add another seamer or two to their squad ahead of the season, as they are already well-stocked in the spin bowling department, with Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, and Moeen Ali all good options.
One man they could call on is the experienced Mohit Sharma, whose IPL exploits have helped earn him 34 international appearances. He also has an impressive record in the competition, taking 91 wickets in 85 matches, at an average of just under 27.
He also has the ability to keep it tight in the death overs, something RCB have really been lacking in recent seasons.