IPL 2024 Auction: Five players Royal Challengers Bangalore can target, remaining purse and more

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have reached three Indian Premier League (IPL) finals so far in 16 seasons of the cash-rich league but have never won the title. One of the prerequisites for winning the trophy is to have a title-winning squad. Virat Kohli’s RCB, which is now captained by Faf du Plessis, have had strong squads in multiple seasons of IPL but some or the other weakness has gone against them. At the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai on 19 December, RCB would look to plug in all the gaps. But before we take a look at their auction strategy, here’s their current squad and other details. RCB retained players: Faf du Plessis (C), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar RCB released players: Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh, Siddharth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav RCB Trades: Mayank Dagar (from Sunrisers Hyderabad), Cameron Green (from Mumbai Indians). Purse left: Rs 23.25 crore Slots left: 6 (3 overseas players) RCB Auction Strategy: In Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, David Willey, Wayne Parnell and Siddharth Kaul, RCB have released some quality pacers, both Indians and overseas. It makes it clear that RCB will be bidding for India and overseas pacers. Their focus, however, could be largely on Indian pacers as they already have foreigners like Faf, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green to fit into their playing XI. Releasing Wanindu Hasaranga has also left a big hole in the squad and they will need to bring a quality spinner, whether Indian or overseas. However, the top Indian spinners are already with other IPL teams. RCB has plenty of batters to choose from but their pace and spin department lacks experience and impact players which means we could see them spending the majority of their budget on bowlers. But with just Rs 23.25 crore in the bank, they will be up against it. Players RCB Can Target: Mitchell Starc A former RCB player, Starc could be a top pick unless other teams blow away Bangalore in the bidding war. He has searing pace and offers variety with his left-arm angle. There are very few bowlers as good as him when it comes to bowling yorkers and Starc recently took 20 wickets as Australia won the World Cup in India. Pat Cummins The Australian fast bowler could be another pick for RCB but they are once again going to face stiff competition for the Aussie’s signature. The benefit of Cummins is that he can also bat and is a proven leader. [caption id=“attachment_13409802” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Australia skipper Pat Cummins is set to attract big bid from RCB. AP[/caption] Mujeeb Ur Rahman RCB are in need of a quality spinner and Mujeeb could be the guy for them. After going unsold last time, Mujeeb may not attract a lot of interest and this could be an opportunity for RCB to sneak in and land a bargain deal. Kartik Tyagi One of the best young pacers, Tyagi is someone RCB should go for. The fast bowler has shown good promise and with RCB known for giving opportunities to youngsters, it looks like a good match. Umesh Yadav Maybe it’s time for Umesh to come back to RCB. The franchise is low on experience and Umesh could be a good fit in such a case. The veteran could be a tad expensive in his bowling but has a knack for wickets.