IPL 2018: 5 players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should not retain

Pawan Negi

The big bucks couldn't translate into big performances for Negi

Despite having Iqbal Abdulla, a steady performer last season, in their ranks, the Challengers opted for another left-arm spinner in Pawan Negi for the 2017 season. While Negi could make better use of the bat than Abdulla, his insipid performances for the Delhi Daredevils the previous year must have made the franchise think twice before handing him a Rs. 1 crore paycheck.

Lady Luck walked right into his house in 2016, when an India call-up for the World T20 welcomed him. What followed was an astonishing run of fortune in the auctions, as a fortuitous Negi pocketed a mind-boggling cheque of Rs. 8.5 crore from Delhi.

The big bounty of money, however, fell right on his head, as he managed one wicket in eight games, and scored 57 runs in total in a shambolic season.

Next year, for the Challengers, his bat stayed quiet, as he gathered only 144 runs from 12 games to hurt the middle-order even more.

He ended with the most wickets for RCB in the season (16 from 12 games), but the side won't see much sense in shelling out Rs. 7 crore on him, if they use him even as their third retention, for they can acquire him for a cheaper price if needed.