IPL 2020: 3 players who can replace Dale Steyn at Royal Challengers Banglore

Royal Challengers Bangalore have been one of the unluckiest sides in Indian Premier League history as despite reaching the final thrice, the side led by Virat Kohli is yet to lift the coveted IPL trophy. The franchise has the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal and many more stars in their squad yet they have not realized their full potential.

The side has promised to break this duck in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League as they have kept mere 13 players from their previous squad. Virat Kohli and the RCB management released 12 players from their IPL 2019 squad which even includes some big names like Dale Steyn, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer and Tim Southee.

It appears that the side would form new combinations during the auction, which may help them in claiming their first IPL title. But, one of the major releases was that of Dale Steyn. The South African pacer was roped in by RCB as a replacement for Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Steyn played 2 games before being ruled out of the tournament because of an injury issue. He grabbed 4 wickets in IPL 2019 and could have done well for RCB if the situation had favoured him. It would be interesting to see who will replace him for IPL 2020 as RCB lack a quality T20 fast bowler in their side. This article features the list of those 3 players who can replace Dale Steyn at Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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#3 Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye was the highest wicket-taker in IPL 2018.

Andrew Tye has a host of great records to his name in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings bought him 2015 but he couldn’t make his debut until 2017. He played his first IPL match for Gujarat Lions in the year 2017 and set a record by taking a five-wicket haul in that match which even included a hat-trick.

Kings XI Punjab later bought him in IPL 2018 and he won the Purple Cap award for being the highest wicket-taker in that season with 24 wickets. However, the year 2019 proved to be a disaster for him as he played just 6 matches and he did not take any wickets while he also leaked runs at an expensive economy rate. Based on his past performances, he can prove to be a good replacement of Dale Steyn at RCB.

#2 Sam Curran

Sam Curran was bought by Kings XI Punjab for 7.20 crores in IPL 2019.

Sam Curran emerged as a surprise pick in IPL Auction 2019 as the Mohali-based franchise bought him for a whopping amount of INR 7.2 crore. The amount invested by KXIP did not go in vain as he played a match-winning role for his team. The Englishman made some worthy contributions in both the departments but was still released by the side for the upcoming edition of IPL.

Curran’s performances during IPL 2019 had outwitted the opposition teams in all the aspects. In his second match, he took a hat-trick against Delhi Capitals which led to his team’s victory by 14 runs. He had received the Man of the Match award for his extraordinary performance. He showcased his batting skills with a quick 50 off just 23 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Curran ended the season with 10 wickets and 95 runs in 9 matches, however, the all-rounder finds himself in the auction pool once again. Hence, RCB should look to sign him in the auction as his left-arm pace can bolster their fast bowling attack besides making up for Steyn’s absence.

#1 Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc has played for RCB in the past

Mitchell Starc possesses the ability to trouble batsmen with his quick pace and bounce. He would be on the radar of all the sides because of his extraordinary talent. However, one team which requires him the most is RCB. The Virat Kohli-led outfit has a plethora of quality batsmen but they lack a reliable name in the bowling unit. As they have released Dale Steyn and Tim Southee, they need a death bowler in their line-up.

Starc has already played for this franchise in the past and the Aussie knows the wicket in Bengaluru. He was an integral part of RCB in IPL 2014 and 2015. In fact, the New South Wales-based pacer was their primary bowler in the 2015 edition.

The Australian played took 14 wickets in IPL 2014 in 14 matches at an average of 28.71. This number increased to 20 wickets from 13 matches in IPL 2015, with the average coming down to 14.55.

RCB should try to acquire him as he could be a like-for-like replacement and even an upgrade on Dale Steyn.