IPL 2019: Five players Royal Challengers Bangalore should get in the IPL trade

Season twelve of the cricket’s greatest carnival, Indian Premier League, is still around five months away but the discussions on the off-season trades are gaining heat. The move that sparked the action was Royal Challengers Bangalore trading their South African wicketkeeper-batsman, Quinton De Kock, to Mumbai Indian for 2.8 Crore INR.

The ongoing transfer window opened when the IPL 2018 season ended and shall be closed one month before the auctions for the fresh season takes place. The date for IPL 2019 auctions is earmarked to be 16th December 2018 so the franchises still have around 20 days to adjust their team formations by trading players with other teams.

Royal Challengers Bangalore had another disappointing IPL season in 2018 as they ended sixth on the league table with six wins from their 14 games. Their two megastars, Captain Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers, and the Indian bowler Umesh Yadav gave his best, but it proved inadequate in the end as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

The southern team’s tagline “Ee Saala Cup Naamde” (This year trophy is ours) became a butt of jokes in the 2018 season. There were a plenty of selection issues and the team management failed to figure out the right team combination until the very end. The off-season transfer window can help RCB correct a few wrongs.Here are the five players Royal Challengers Bangalore should get in the IPL trade.

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#5 Krishnappa Gowtham

K Gowtham can solve many problems of RCB

The bowling all-rounder came into the limelight last year when Rajasthan Royals signed him for the whopping amount of 6.2 Crores INR. Gowtham picked up 11 wickets in the season and also scored 126 runs while batting down the order. His most memorable performance was his match-winning 33 not out from 11 balls against Mumbai Indians that clinched a much-needed victory for the Royals.

In the 2018 season, RCB suffered two gaping weaknesses. A spinner who could accompany Yuzvendra Chahal and a lower-order batsman who could strike long sixes in the end overs. Washington Sundar, the off-spinner from Tamil Nadu, was unable to provide support to Chahal on turning tracks of Bangalore and the team lost its plot in the middle overs while bowling.

K Gowtham can remedy these problems for the Bangalore franchise. He is an effective right-arm off-spinner who can pin down the batsman with his accuracy and help Chahal attack from the other end. The 30-year old spinner will contribute with the bat as well thus being a valuable lower-order option. The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is Gowtham’s home ground and his familiarity with the ground and conditions will be of an immense help to Virat Kohli and co.

#4 Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan played for RCB in IPL 2016

Umesh Yadav enjoyed his best season in the IPL in the year 2018 as he emerged as the highest wicket-taker for the team with 20 wickets in 14 matches. The Vidarbha bowler was lethal in the opening overs of the game and gave his side the flying starts. However, the death bowling department was extremely poor and cost RCB the match on many occasions.

After playing out Umesh Yadav, the opposition made merry on the toothless bowling attack at the end. Chris Jordan, who played only one match for Sunrisers Hyderabad this year, can come in handy to solve the death bowling problem. The 30-year old bowler originally from Barbados is renowned for his bowling skills at the end for his English county team Surrey. Jordan has the express pace to dominate the batsman in the end overs and his accuracy of bowling yorkers is what makes him a great prospect for the T20 format.

Chris Jordan has made a mark in the Australian Big Bash League and Pakistan’s T20 league as well. The right-arm fast bowler is equally capable of clearing grounds with the bat and boasts of two first-class centuries also. With more than 130 T20 wickets on his name, Jordan will be the perfect addition in the RCB team.

#3 Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi made his name while opening the innings for Pune IPL team

By releasing Quinton De Kock from the squad for IPL 2019, Royal Challengers Bangalore have vacated one of their most important batting spots in the lineup, that of the opening batsman. De Kock was useful in constructing a steady platform for the team from which Kohli and ABD could elevate the score.

An opener that RCB can eye for the upcoming season is the right-hand batsman from Ranchi, Rahul Tripathi. The opener shifted to Pune and established his name with his heroics for the Rising Pune Supergiants team in the IPL 2016. Batting at the top spot, he gave very good starts to the side and batted deep in the innings as well.

Tripathi was bought by Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2018. The franchise listed him very low in the batting order and the batsman faced only a trifle of balls before he was finally promoted to the opening slot. Proving his worth, Tripathi promptly struck a magnificent 80 not out from 58 balls which helped the team post a match-winning total. Tripathi’s addition will ease the pressure on RCB’s middle-order and help Kohli-ABD play freely.

#2 Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda is an effective lower-order batsman and a useful off-spinner

In IPL 2018, the Bangalore franchise bought a horde of foreign all-rounders. They included Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali (England), Colin De Grandhomme and Corey Anderson (New Zealand). With one of these blocking a foreign spot, RCB failed to utilize the remaining squad effectively. By grabbing an Indian all-rounder, the franchise can solve many problems in one go.

Deepak Hooda is the perfect option for RCB to go after. The captain of the Baroda Ranji team was a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018, however, the franchise could not make the utmost use of Hooda’s talent. The part-time off-spinner played nine matches and scored 87 runs in the limited opportunities he received.

As a mercurial batsman whose strike rate is 140 in 88 T20 matches so far, Deepak Hooda will provide depth to the Bangalore batting lineup. Being a clean striker of the ball, his batting skills in the death overs will be crucial alongside his off-spin bowling that can come in handy for Virat Kohli.

#1 Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal had a disappointing IPL 2018

The biggest talking point in the Indian domestic cricket since the last year or so, Mayank Agarwal, had a disappointing IPL 2018. Representing Kings XI Punjab, Mayank totalled only 120 runs in 11 matches with his highest score being 30. The 27-year old has scored a mountain of runs in the domestic cricket, and getting back on his home pitch might serve best in the interests of both him and the team.

Mayank Agarwal knows the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore like the back of his hand. He has scored a ton of runs there and will be eager to set the record straight in the upcoming IPL. Royal Challengers Bangalore can benefit immensely by having the local boy onboard.

The best feature of Agarwal is that he can not only bat in the middle order but can also come out to open the innings. The flexibility will allow RCB to set Kohli and AB De Villiers in the best batting positions and not keep fiddling with them. Agarwal’s skills and capability of adapting to the game situation will improve the batting standards of the team by a manifold.