IPL 2022 Auction: 3 players who could return to RCB after a decade
The countdown to the much-awaited IPL 2022 Auction has begun. Fans will be waiting with bated breath to see which player emerges as the most expensive pick at the biggest auction in IPL history.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra recently revealed that someone has informed him about Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s auction strategy. According to Chopra, RCB have planned to use ₹20 crore from their auction purse to sign Shreyas Iyer.
A report emerged yesterday claiming that RCB have shortlisted Jason Holder, Riyan Parag and Ambati Rayudu for the mega auction. There has been no official update from RCB, but it is highly unlikely that they will be able to sign all the aforementioned names.
RCB have only three players in their squad ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction. They will need more names apart from the four players stated above. The Bangalore-based franchise could thus target the following five cricketers and bring them back into their squad after a decade-long break.
#1 Eoin Morgan
England's ODI and T20I skipper Eoin Morgan made his IPL debut for the Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2010. He played six matches for the team, scoring 35 runs at a strike rate of 116.66.
Morgan has improved a lot since then. He won the 2019 Cricket World Cup as captain and led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL Final last year. Since RCB need a new skipper, someone like Morgan could be a good choice.
#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Few cricket fans will remember that Bhuvneshwar Kumar was a member of the RCB squad in 2009 and 2010. He did not play even one match during those two IPL seasons, but got game time during the Champions League T20 competition.
Kumar is one of the most successful bowlers in IPL history. He can form a solid combination with Mohammed Siraj if signed by RCB at IPL 2022 Auction.
#3 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey could be another captaincy option for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He played for the Bangalore-based franchise in 2009 and 2010. During that stint, Pandey became the first Indian player to score a century in the IPL.
Overall, Pandey has scored 417 runs in 18 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. If Virat Kohli wishes to play as an opener for RCB in IPL 2022, Pandey can bat in the middle-order and provide stability to the innings before Glenn Maxwell goes all out in attack.
Apart from Manish Pandey, another former player whom the Royal Challengers Bangalore could consider signing after a decade is Robin Uthappa. Although Uthappa has not played international cricket since a long time, he performed well for the Chennai Super Kings last year, which is why RCB could consider re-signing him.
It remains to be seen if the Bangalore-based franchise targets any of its former players at IPL 2022 Auction.