Ranking RCB's buys at IPL 2024 Auction
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had had an ordinary outing during the IPL 2024 auction. RCB had funds of Rs. 23.25 crores, and spent Rs. 20.40 crores on six players during the said auction.
While the batting lineup of RCB looks settled with the likes of Virat Kohli, skipper Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green to name a few, the RCB management looked to rope in more all-rounders and bowling options during the IPL 2024 auction.
The following six players were acquired by RCB during the IPL 2024 auction:
Alzarri Joseph (Rs. 11.50 crores), Yash Dayal (5 crores), Lockie Ferguson (Rs. 2 crores), Tom Curran (Rs. 1.50 crores), Swapnil Singh (Rs. 20 lakhs) and Saurav Chauhan (Rs. 20 lakhs).
On that note, herein below is the ranking of the six players acquired by RCB during the auction:
#1 Lockie Ferguson (8/10)
The Kiwi pacer is a welcome addition to the RCB squad for IPL 2024. Ferguson can bowl at a good pace and has tasted success for IPL in the past. In 38 IPL matches, the pacer has bagged 37 wickets at an average of 31.65. His economy rate of 8.66 is slightly on the higher side.
The fact that Ferguson was acquired by Bangalore for a sum of Rs. 2 crores and did not burn a hole in the packet of the franchise, makes him a handy and a smart pick for RCB. His partnership with Mohammed Siraj with the new ball and at the death could be a handy proposition for RCB as they have been missing a bowler who can bowl well at the death.
Ferguson has a decent track record in T20Is and averages 20.52 with the ball in 33 matches.
#2 Saurav Chauhan (7.5/10)
The 23-year-old youngster from Gujarat has made rapid strides in domestic T20s. In 19 T20s, Chauhan has an astounding strike rate of 152.13 and scored four half-centuries. Chauhan holds the record for the highest strike rate in an innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with at least 10 balls played.
He is an exciting young talent and could provide the impetus and finishing touches to the innings. He is a part-time keeper too.
#3 Alzarri Joseph (6/10)
RCB almost spent half their purse on the West Indies pacer. Though Joseph is a wicket-taking option, he often leaks runs, especially in the death overs which turns out to be fatal for his team. His economy rate of 9.19 in 19 IPL matches seems to be of concern.
In 2023, Joseph played 9 T20Is for the West Indies and picked up 16 wickets. However, the said wickets came at an economy of 10.37.
Joseph could find it difficult to justify his price tag in IPL 2024 and could struggle to find a place in the playing X1 because only four overseas players would be allowed in the team.
#4 Yash Dayal and Swapni Singh (5/10)
The left-handed pacer was on the receiving end against Rinku Singh in IPL 2023 when he was taken to the cleaners. Rinku Singh smashed five sixes in the last over and guided his team to an improbable win.
Gujarat Titans released Dayal before the IPL 2024 auction. RCB acquired Dayal for a whooping sum of Rs. 5 crores. Dayal has been an inconsistent performer in IPL cricket. In 14 matches, he has picked up 13 wickets at an ordinary average of 35.46 and an unacceptable economy rate of 10.02.
Dayal is young and is likely to get better with time. However, the bid of Rs. 5 crores seems not to be justified considering his past IPL record.
Swapnil Singh is an all-rounder who was acquired by Bangalore during the auction. Singh is primarily a left-hand spinner from hails from Uttar Pradesh and is known to contain the batsmen in the middle-overs.
#5 Tom Curran (4.5/10)
Curran is another pacer who has leaked runs in the shortest format. An economy rate of 10.84 with the ball in IPL cricket and 9.26 in T20Is does not make a good reading.
Curran last played a T20I for England in July 2021 and has not been a part of the IP L for the past two seasons.
It will be difficult for Curran to feature in the playing XI considering the fact that he will be competing with Ferguson and Joseph for the pacer's slot in the final XI.