IPL 2019: 3 Batsmen Who RCB Can Sign At The Auction
The Royal Challengers Bangalore finished in the sixth place last season. Their batting order which posed of many big names like De Kock and Mccullum failed with Kohli and ABD being the only exceptions. While De Kock got a few good starts, he failed to convert them into big scores as Mccullum struggled to get going.
They have traded Mandeep Singh, the middle order batsman for Marcus Stoinis, the all-rounder from Kings XI Punjab. They have released the following players ahead of the auction.
Released players: Quinton de Kock, Mandeep Singh, Brendon McCullum, Chris Woakes, Corey Anderson, Sarfraz Khan, Pavan Deshpande, Manan Vohra, Murugan Ashwin, Anirudhha Joshi, Aniket Choudhary.
They have retained the following players.
Retained players: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Kulwant Khejroliya, Moeen Ali, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Tim Southee, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini.
They have a lot of money in their purse and need to make good buys to strengthen their batting unit as well as their pace battery.
Here are 3 batsmen who RCB should sign at the auction.
#3 Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran is an attacking West Indies middle order option for RCB. Nicholas had a great time playing for the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League. He is currently playing for the Northern Warriors in the T10 League and is the second highest run scorer in the league behind fellow Caribbean Andre Fletcher and scored at a strike rate of 268 which is staggering. He can also keep wickets.
He is a destructive option who can bat at number 5 or number 6 and will be a cheaper option at the auction. In the Caribbean Premier League, he scored 267 runs in 10 matches averaging 34 at a great strike rate of 146.
Batting at number 5, he scored 87 runs in 2 matches scoring at a strike rate of 162. Relatively unknown in the cricketing world, he can make a name for himself by playing in the IPL and will be a budget option for RCB.
#2 Jonny Bairstow
The English opener can serve both as a batsman and a wicketkeeper. He has had a tremendous international year in both ODIs and Tests. His strike rate of 120 in ODIs is something to marvel and illustrates his dominance of opposition bowlers. Bairstow is a fluent stroke maker and is known for carving the ball through the off side.
Much like a right-handed De Kock, Bairstow is someone who can become a great success if he plays for RCB. His presence will provide solid starts to the team while enabling Kohli and ABD to play their natural game when they come in. It will also help in setting platforms while chasing scores which is very important in T20 cricket.
#1 Shimron Hetmyer
The top target not only for RCB but also for other teams will be Shimron Hetmyer, the Caribbean batsman who made a mark in the series against India. There promises to be a bidding war for the young Windies batsman who can bat in all positions from opening to number 5 which is where he will be needed to bat in RCB.
RCB lacked a player who could carry forward the momentum which Kohli or ABD created or finish off games. This left too much weight on their shoulders and a few crucial matches were lost. Hetmyer can build the innings as well as hit the big sixes and is similar to Rishabh Pant. His performance in various T20 leagues around the world, as well as his dominance against Indian spinners on Indian tracks, will be a reassurance for the RCB management.
RCB have been known for their fearless bidding during the auction. Though they come in with few targets, they are known to spend large amounts of money for them. Tymal Mills was bought for 13.5 crore by them and the purse they have can accommodate a match winner like Hetmyer and will be a good buy for them.