IPL 2019 Auction: 3 players that Royal Challengers Bangalore need to pick

As another edition of the Indian Premier League knocks on our door, it is time to ask the same question again. Will the Royal Challengers Bangalore, one of the most popular franchises in the league convert their hitherto unexplored potential into performances and finally end their title drought?

As always, the RCB go into the IPL with a rock-solid batting on the paper led by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Having released players like Brendon McCullum, Corey Anderson, Chris Woakes and Sarfaraz Khan they have quite a few vacant slots to fill. The Bangalore franchise also traded Quinton de Kock to Mumbai Indians and acquired Marcus Stoinis from Punjab at the cost of Mandeep Singh.

With 18.15 crores still in their kitty, the RCB have adequate funds to build a formidable side They need to find replacements for de Kock and McCullum by picking an overseas batsman and propel their fast bowling which has been their nemesis for a long time. Let us take a look at three players that the men in red and black need to pick.

#3 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch could be the perfect replacement for Quinton de Kock who was traded to Mumbai

The swashbuckling Victorian opening batsman has been the hottest property in T20 cricket in recent times. Finch holds the record for top 2 highest individual scores in T20 international cricket. In the IPL, Finch has played for as many as seven franchises and has a wealth of experience.

RCB have not found anyone to fill in the big shoes of Chris Gayle since letting go the Jamaican. Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum did not fire for them last season and the men in red had to let both of them go. Having Finch in the ranks gives them firepower at the top, and he could be considered as a long-term investment as he still has plenty of cricket left in him.

Finch could provide the Royal Challengers the last piece to complete their batting puzzle, and the franchise should not hesitate in spending few extra bucks on the big burly Australian. Finch has played 75 IPL matches scoring 1737 runs at a strike rate of 131.

#2 Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha is a very underrated wicket-keeper batsman in T20 cricket

The Bengal wicket-keeper has been one of the most underrated players in the IPL over the years. Saha is a very safe customer behind the wickets and plays some useful knocks with the bat. He was the backbone of the Kings XI Punjab for several years and also has achieved the unique feat of being the only Indian to score a hundred in an IPL final.

Barring Parthiv Patel, the Royal Challengers Bangalore do not have a specialist wicket-keeper batsman. In this scenario, there could not be a better man than Wriddhiman Saha that the Royal Challengers could target at the auction.

Saha's attributes perfectly match RCB's requirements and hence he could be a very handy buy. Saha's IPL stats read 1679 runs from 115 games at a strike rate of 129. He missed the majority of the last season due to injury and would be hoping to make a grand comeback this season.

#1 Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn had played for the RCB in the early days of the IPL

The RCB have always been a batting-heavy side who have lacked penetration in their bowling attack. This has brought about their downfall and the team has not ended up on the winning side despite posting 200-plus totals on many occasions.

Presently, the men in red and black are lacking experience in their fast-bowling department. Although they have retained Tim Southee and Nathan Coulter-Nile, none of them have substantial experience of playing in the IPL. Steyn's inclusion will make their bowling attack look robust.

Steyn has not played IPL for a while with his last appearance coming for the Gujarat Lions in the 2016 edition of the IPL. He has picked 92 wickets from 90 matches at an economy of 6.25 in his IPL career. Dale Steyn has already played for the RCB in the first three editions of the IPL and the return to his old home would be more than welcome.