IPL 2019: Analyzing Royal Challengers Bangalore's needs and likely strategy at the auction
Possible Buys: Jonny Bairstow, Shimron Hetmyer, Yuvraj Singh, Hanuma Vihari, Ravikumar Samarth, Sarfaraz Khan, Anuj Rawat, Ankit Bawne, Sherfane Rutherford
Expected Combination:
Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Indian Batsman, Moeen Ali, Marcus Stoinis, Washington Sundar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal
Royal Challengers Bangalore are a case of utter curiosity. They have two of the best batsmen of the world in Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers and still seem to find a way to underwhelm.
After the 2018 auction, RCB seemed to possess a relatively balanced team for the first time in their history. With young talents such as Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini and Washington Sundar coming in for a bargain price, RCB's decision to overlook KL Rahul was not considered for a debate. But the routine continued with the team finishing sixth in the table.
Now with the 2019 IPL, RCB have another chance in adding substance to the "Ee Sala Cup Namde" chants of their die-hard supporters.
With 8 Indian slots and 2 overseas slots remaining, RCB were involved in two deals over the first transfer window. The release of Brendon McCullum and selling Quinton De Kock to Mumbai Indians directs us to the fact that the RCB think tank are fully invested in the idea of Virat Kohli opening the batting for them allowing both their captain and AB De Villiers to face the bulk of their stipulated 20 overs.
The acquisition of Marcus Stoinis in return for Mandeep Singh has garnered mixed reactions. While Stoinis might well be the all-rounder who could provide the much-needed balance to the team, his unavailability for the entire tournament goes against him.
An available salary cap of 18.15 crores gives them the chance to build as they would wish with the requirement of an overseas batsman, possibly a wicket keeper. Jonny Bairstow and Shimron Hetmyer- who has kept wickets in the past- would fit the bill for RCB.
They also have a dearth of Indian batsman after the sale of Mandeep Singh and release of the likes of Manan Vohra and Sarfaraz Khan. Their management would keenly be looking upon Manoj Tiwary, Hanuma Vihari and even local talent, Ravikumar Samarth. While their decision to first retain Sarfaraz only to release him after six months has baffled everyone, we expect RCB to get him back albeit for a cheaper price.
The bowling unit looks more or less settled with the inclusion of Nathan Coulter Nile, who had missed the previous IPL through injury. Umesh Yadav, Siraj and Navdeep Saini would be sufficient to take them through while they have two of India's best spinners in Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal. Adding Moeen Ali to that equation just makes it even better to a spin trio that oozes variety and consistency.
With Parthiv Patel being the only recognized wicket-keeper in the team, a wicketkeeper should also be on their agenda. U-19 star, Anuj Rawat is one prospect for the long run. Another spinning option could also be sought after with the likes of Siddharth Desai and Shiva Singh available in the auctions.
If the auction goes wayward and RCB have to revert to bulk up their bowling, they can look forward to Anrich Nortje and Lutho Sipalma who have the ability to ball quick and accurately at the death.
While RCB have always seemed to have the resources to win the title, they have always underwhelmed at crucial junctions of the competitions. With shrewd signings, 2019 could be theirs or as their fans say "Ee Sala Cup Namde".