IPL 2020 Auction: 4 batsmen RCB must look to bring back into the team
Royal Challengers Bangalore had a disappointing IPL 2019 campaign, coming in last in the eight-team league with just five wins in fourteen league games. The team lost their first six games of the season, and was panned by fans and pundits alike.
This consistency in terms of failing to win must have been the primary reason behind the team management letting go of 12 out of the 25 players in their squad ahead of the IPL player auction which is to be held in Kolkata on December 19th. Having released players like Shimron Hetmyer, Dale Steyn and Marcus Stoinis, the Virat Kohli-led side has made its intentions of building a brand-new squad from scratch clear.
Despite being regarded as 'IPL's batting powerhouse' since the league's inception, their heavy reliance on Kohli and AB de Villiers in the last few seasons has been a major cause of concern. They need to address this issue by bringing in proven batsmen who could deliver under any circumstances so that both Kohli and de Villiers are able to play their natural game. Fortunately for them, they have four of their former batsmen up for grabs in the upcoming player auction.
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Here are the four batsmen RCB must look to bring back to the team in order to bolster their batting ahead of IPL 2020:
#4 Travis Head
Head, who guided the Adelaide Strikers to their first-ever Big Bash League title in season seven, represented Royal Challengers Bangalore at the 2016 and 2017 editions of the IPL. A reliable batsman, he could provide the much-need stability to RCB's middle order. The classy left-handed batsman had a moderate outing with Kohli's men during his two-year stint. Having played 10 matches across two seasons, Head managed 205 runs at a strike-rate of 138.51. An occasional off-spinner, the Aussie also has two IPL wickets to his name. His outstanding knock of 75* off 47 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders at Bengaluru in season ten proved that he is capable of making it big in the cash-rich league.
Unfortunately, the Southpaw, who has amassed 1808 runs in 72 T20s, has found no buyers in the last two editions of the IPL. Nevertheless, given his experience across different formats (6563 First-class and 3202 List A runs), the 25-year-old Adelaide Strikers skipper deserves another opportunity to prove his credentials in the T20 extravaganza. With RCB in need of a solid middle-order batsman, Head, a clean-hitter of the ball, could be an ideal option going into IPL 2020. Given his exploits with the willow in Big Bash League, he could be a valuable investment for the Royal Challengers.