3 RCB players who should be released after IPL 2023

It was another 'nearly' year for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL as they came within touching distance of making the playoffs before faltering at the final step. Their inconsistency was largely caused by a weak middle-order, which failed to capitalize on the good starts given by the top-order, comprising Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell.

In a video released on RCB's social media, skipper Du Plessis acknowledged that the team did not deserve to make it to the playoffs. It was a familiar story for RCB as they have traditionally been a top-heavy side. The bowling too, like in previous seasons, was not up to the mark, something which put even more pressure on the batters.

It's obvious that RCB will have to do a proper post-mortem of the season in order to come back stronger next year. Here's a look at three players who should be released by RCB after a poor IPL 2023:

#1 Anuj Rawat

Anuj Rawat was part of RCB's infamous middle-order

Anuj Rawat was part of RCB's infamous middle-order, which failed to get going in IPL 2023. Rawat has been a part of RCB for the previous two seasons, in which he has played 17 games, scoring 220 runs including one half-century. Rawat's strike-rate has also been quite poor and it is difficult to envision RCB having more patience with the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter.

In his defense, Rawat was used in positions that he has very little experience in. Primarily an opener, he was used as a finisher by RCB, which is not the easiest of jobs in the game. However, after another season without a trophy, there are going to be casualties and Rawat might be one of them.

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#2 Mahipal Lomror

Lomror showed glimpses of his talent but was largely inconsistent

Like Rawat, Mahipal Lomror was also part of RCB's misfiring middle-order in IPL 2023. Lomror played a couple of good innings, but overall, he failed to impress. The 23-year-old could only manage 135 runs in 10 innings at an average of 16.88, including a solitary fifty.

RCB will be tempted to release him and get someone more reliable into the mix. After the team's exit, coach Sanjay Bangar acknowledged that RCB expected more from Lomror than what he delivered.

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#3 Dinesh Karthik

Many people thought that RCB had made a mistake by purchasing Dinesh Karthik at the player auction ahead of IPL 2022. However, the experienced campaigner was one of the standout performers of IPL 2022 and his stellar run for RCB paved the way for his recall into India's T20 International setup. In 16 games last season, Karthik scored 330 runs at a sensational strike-rate 183.

However, this year, Karthik failed to live up to expectations, scoring only 140 runs in 13 innings. Moreover, his wicket-keeping also came under scrutiny as he dropped quite a few catches, which cost the Faf du Plessis-led franchise big time. As a result, Anuj Rawat took over the wicket-keeping duties for the last few games.

By the time IPL 2024 starts, Karthik will be close to 39 and RCB might look to move on and get someone young in his place.