"Faf and Virat are highly likely to open the batting for us" - RCB's Mike Hesson ahead of IPL 2023

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) director of cricket operations Mike Hesson has strongly hinted at Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis opening the batting for the franchise in IPL 2023.

The former New Zealand coach also shed light on the strategy behind acquiring the English duo of Will Jacks and Reece Topley in the mini-auction.

The RCB are having an eventful day at the IPL 2023 mini-auction in 2023, having gone for the likes of Cameron Green, Sam Curran, and Ben Stokes, but were unsuccessful. The three-time finalists made their first purchase in the form of English left-arm seamer Reece Topley for INR 1.9 crores.

Will Jacks, who made his international debut in September, found takers in both RCB and Rajasthan Royals. However, the former prevailed, shelling out INR 3.2 crores for the all-rounder.

Grateful for the opportunity and excited for this! @RCBTweets

Ps: not sure about this photo 😂 twitter.com/rcbtweets/stat…

Speaking to the reporters amid the auction, Hesson believes Topley is a steal at INR 1.9 crores, and that allowed them to go even harder for Jacks after missing out on Stokes and Curran.

After finishing their 2022 campaign in the playoffs, the 48-year-old hopes they can go the distance next year.

As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:

"We know the skills and attributes Topley brings. We were delighted to pick him up for 1.90 crore and gave us some flexibility. We thought he would be 3-4 crore and that allowed us to bid for Jacks. Faf and Virat are highly likely to open the batting for us. In smaller auctions, the prices can be significantly higher than the big auctions."

He added:

"We knew Stokes and Curran would be higher than what we could afford. We made the playoffs and had a pretty strong side, we spent a lot of time before the big auction and we expect them to give us good returns. We’re very happy to retain the 18 players."

Topley, a limited-overs specialist, has promising T20 numbers, taking 168 wickets in 131 T20s at 22.01. By contrast, Jacks boasts a strike rate of 154.39 in 102 T20 games and has a decent bowling average of 25.47.

Virat Kohli endured a forgettable IPL 2022 with the bat

Meanwhile, Kohli didn't have the best of seasons in 2022 as he struggled with the bat.

The right-handed batter managed only 341 runs in 16 games at 22.73 with two fifties. It was his lowest run tally in a season since 2017 when Virat scored 308 runs.

The Bangalore-based franchise lost by seven wickets in the second qualifier to the Rajasthan Royals and were eliminated from the tournament.