5 stars RCB should not hold on to

IPL is one of the biggest sporting extravaganzas of the year and cricket lovers desperately wait for the auctions to see which players their favourite teams have picked up. The 2018 IPL is around the corner and on 6th December, the IPL governing council met to formulate new player retention rules for the franchises.

Royal Challengers Bangalore has been one of the most prominent sides in the IPL since the inception of the tournament and would be looking to lift the elusive trophy this time around. Though there are some key players like AB De Villiers, skipper Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle that should be retained, let us review a host of other players in the squad who should be avoided.

5) Tymal Mills

Mills in action for the RCB

Tymal Mills sent shockwaves in the cricketing world when he was bought by the RCB for a whopping Rs 12 crore in the 2017 auction. The left-arm pacer was brought in to replace Mitchell Starc, who had left RCB with mutual consent and ended up becoming the second highest paid foreign player in the history of the IPL.

However, he managed to pick up only 5 wickets in 5 matches and that too with a high economy rate of 8.57. His frequent injuries and inability to adapt to the Indian conditions also mean that RCB should be looking for alternative options.

In case, RCB wish to go for Tymal mills, they should use the Right to Match(RTM) card and can save a lot of money

4) Travis Head

Travis Head

Travis Head had a sensational outing in the Big-Bash 2016-17 season when he announced himself by scoring his first T20 century (101 off just 53 deliveries) playing for the Adelaide Strikers. An astonishing feat considering he scored 56 runs in the last 3 overs to complete his century when the team needed to chase 55 runs to win in remaining overs.

He was snapped up by RCB in the 2017 auction but only managed to score 151 runs in 7 matches while picking up 2 wickets. His chances of playing in the imperious RCB line are very limited and it is high time the team looks for an established bowler to maintain the balance of the side.

3) Tabraiz Shamsi

Shamsi has not fared as expected

Such has been RCB's fate that a side that boasts of probably the finest batting lineup in the tournament has rarely had a bowler they could rely upon, barring the exception of Mitchell Starc. Tabraiz Shamsi is also one of those mystery spinners who was brought into the side for some much needed depth in the spin bowling department.

The slow left arm chinaman from South Africa was a replacement for Samuel Badree in the 2016 edition and only picked up 3 wickets in the 4 matches he played. To add to that he had a terrible economy rate of 9.18 runs per over which is something a team does not expect from their premier bowler.

2) Stuart Binny

Binny has been around for quite some time now

Binny has been in the IPL since 2010 and has represented multiple franchises including the likes of Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and now the Royal Challengers. For a player who has been around for so long, his track record is pretty dismal. The all-rounder has proved to be a decent batsman and a below par medium pacer and has been regularly in and out of the side.

Binny has scored 760 runs in 80 matches with an average of 20.60 and a strike rate of 126. On the bowling front, he has picked up 21 wickets at an economy rate of 7.56 runs per over. RCB can go for better all rounders and Binny can be bought from the auction pool if his services are indeed needed.

1) Shane Watson

RCB needs to look past Watson to succeed in the future

Easily one of the bigest names on the list, one could never have imagined not picking up a player of Shane Watson's calibre a few years ago. The hard-hitting all-rounder was a key member of the World Cup-winning Australian squad and the Rajasthan Royals outfit that lifted the inaugural IPL trophy in 2008.

The 36-year-old veteran seems to be well past his prime now and his currently plying his trade for Sydney Thunders in BBL and Islamabad United in PSL. It is clearly evident by his stats which depict he only scored 71 runs in 8 outings with an average of 11 and a strike rate of only 91 in the 2017 edition of IPL.

He also averaged a poor 49 with the ball at an economy of 9.13 runs per over. It is fair to say that Watson is certainly not worth the 7 crore that RCB will have to shell out to retain his services. They can get him for much lesser from the auction pool and by utilizing their Right to Match card if they so desire.