Daniel Vettori reveals reason why RCB spent Rs 12 crore on Tymal Mills

What’s the story?

Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Daniel Vettori admitted that England fast bowler Tymal Mills was part of their “auction strategy” and his good form and availability was the main reason why the franchise spent Rs 12 crore to secure his signature.

RCB, who look to have filled all the gaps in their squad ahead of IPL 2017, went all out in their bid to secure the signature of Mills, the 24-year-old left-arm fast bowler from England, who has made a name for himself as a T20 specialist, courtesy of his excellent yorkers and variations.

Speaking about the reason behind spending so much money on Mills to TOI, Daniel Vettori said: “We splurged on Tymal because he was a part of our auction strategy. He is available through the season and is in good form having done well in the Big Bash League. He comes with skills which are well-suited for the size and conditions at our home ground – the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. We had Rs 17 crore in our kitty so we certainly had our limits. That said, when you target players it is important to be flexible with your purse because you can’t control the course of the auction.”

Extra Cover: IPL 2017 Team Squads and full list of players sold with price after auctions

In case you didn’t know...

Tymal Mills became the most expensive bowler in the history of the IPL after he was bought for Rs 12 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL Auction 2017. Four teams were involved in a furious bidding war for the 24-year-old England fast bowler but it was Virat Kohli's side that got him in the end.

Details

Mitchell Starc’s late decision to opt out of IPL 2017, which Daniel Vettori described as “huge loss”, meant that RCB were in desperate need of someone to fill in his shoes for the tenth edition of the tournament and they decided to go for the English T20 specialist.

The 24-year-old played for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League, the side who were also coached by Vettori, so the Kiwi legend knew first-hand about his exploits. The money that came along with Starc’s withdrawal and Mills’ availability for the entire tournament made him a prime target for RCB, who then went all out to secure his signature.

In his fledgling T20 career, Mills already has 67 wickets from 58 matches with an economy rate of under 7.5. Those numbers are impressive for any bowler, let alone for one who bowls primarily at the death overs.

Extra Cover: IPL Auction 2017: 5 Foreign players who caused a bidding war

What’s next?

RCB will begin their IPL 2017 campaign in a repeat of last year’s final with an away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5. With a settled squad, RCB will be looking to go one better than they did last year and claim their maiden IPL title.

Sportskeeda’s Take

Starc’s last-minute decision to withdraw certainly drew a spanner in the works for RCB. But in Tymal Mills, they might have found the perfect replacement as the left-arm pacer has been in brilliant form and will be available for the entire tournament. Whether he goes the way of the last English seamer RCB bought (Chris Jordan), or the way of Starc is something only time will tell, but on face value, RCB have a solid signing in the form of Tymal Mills.