IPL 2022 Auction: 3 RCB bowlers to watch out for
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be one of the sides pleased with their overall combination. They focussed on picking up some prize bowling options during the IPL 2022 Auction. They did so, starting with Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel, who were their most-expensive buys for ₹10.75 crore each.
With this, the Challengers will be pleased with the other players they picked after already having retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj.
Here's a quick look at the complete squad:
Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Jason Behrendorff, Chama Milind, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford, Suyash Prabhudessai, Aneeshwar Gautam, David Willey, Luvnith Sisodia, Siddharth Kaul
Ahead of the start of the high-octane tournament, here's a look at three RCB bowlers to keep an eye out for.
#1 Mohammed Siraj: RCB's pace attack leader
One of the more impressive stories from the RCB camp has been that of Hyderabad seamer Mohammed Siraj. He has evolved over the years from a fringe bowler to becoming their retained player.
Siraj was one of the bright spots in Bangalore's playoff journey in IPL 2021. He picked up 11 wickets from 15 games at an average of 32.09 and a miserly economy rate of 6.78 — his best-ever in his IPL career.
He will be the powerplay and death overs specialist for RCB alongside Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel.
#2 Harshal Patel
RCB's most-successful seamer in IPL 2021 was involved in a massive bidding war with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) before Bangalore snapped him back for ₹ 10.75 Cr.
Patel was the Purple Cap holder in the IPL in 2021 with 32 wickets from 15 matches at an average of 14.34 and an economy rate of 8.15. The side will be well-placed to win the title even if Patel has half the wickets he scalped from the previous season.
#3 Wanindu Hasaranga
He caused quite the uproar after being picked for a whopping price. This ensured that Bangalore would not be chasing Yuzvendra Chahal at the auction. However, Wanindu Hasaranga is perhaps their most potent weapon with the ball.
The tweaker bagged 16 wickets to finish as the leading wicket-taker, while also setting the record for most wickets in last year's T20 World Cup. His achievements also included a hat-trick against South Africa, although Sri Lanka failed to close out the game.
Adding to this is his ability to put the handle to good use, and Royal Challengers will feel they have a matchwinner in their arsenal.