IPL 2020 Auctions: 5 players Royal Challengers Bangalore should target

It's an enigma that Royal Challengers Bangalore have failed to win the Indian Premier League in twelve different seasons despite having a star-studded squad in almost every one of them.

Virat Kohli has led the Indian team to the top of Test rankings but has failed to reproduce the same with his IPL franchise. Continuous failures in stopping the run flow of the opposition is a major criticism of the Kohli-led Bangalore side. Last season, young names like Shivam Dube, Shimron Hetmyer, Prayas Barman etc. who were bought for heavy prices under-performed and the experienced players had to take all the burden on their back.

Ahead of this season, Royal Challengers Bangalore have released a lot of players in order to revamp their squad. They have released some star names in Colin de Grandhomme, Dale Steyn, Tim Southee, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer.

Here is how the squad looks currently before the auctions

Squad: Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Gurkeerat Singh, Moeen Ali, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal

RCB can add a maximum of 12 players, six overseas and six domestic with their available purse of Rs. 27.9 Crores.

Also see – Ranji points table

Here are five players the franchise should go for to fill the empty puzzle pieces in their squad.

#1 Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn playing in the Big Bash T20 League

Since the departure of Chris Gayle, RCB have looked a shadow of the side they were when the Caribbean powerhouse went out to open every innings alongside Virat Kohli.

Chris Lynn is a direct replacement for his namesake, he bats in the same position with the same flair and style as Gayle did during his prime. Kolkata Knight Riders released the Australian power-hitter despite him crossing 400 runs in both the previous seasons of the Indian Premier League.

Lynn likes to goes after the bowlers in the powerplay overs and that would ideally suit Virat Kohli as the skipper would be able to build his game and set himself on the crease in the first few overs.

#2 Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis (Photo: Cricket Australia)

Marcus Stoinis is a proven name in the shortest format of the game and it is a mystery why RCB released him ahead of the IPL 2020 auctions.

The Australian all-rounder proved himself to be useful on Indian pitches the last time Australia toured India for 5 ODI matches. While Stoinis was unavailable for majority of last season of IPL, he did leave his mark on the side with some useful contributions with the bat and economical bowling figures.

While Chris Morris and Carlos Brathwaite are also available in this year's auctions, the former is more of a bowling all-rounder while the latter is more of a batting all-rounder and unproven on Indian pitches as well. Stoinis is a complete package and Royal Challengers should go all out to get their star all-rounder back in the side.

#3 Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma (Photo: IPLT20.com)

Chennai Super Kings have yet again released Mohit Sharma and they might get him back again if no else bids for the Haryana fast bowler. Sharma is adept at bowling in the powerplay overs as well as the death overs.

The 31-year-old can form a good pairing with Navdeep Saini as the two bowlers offer very different dimensions of fast bowling. Sharma can also impart his knowledge to the young speedster given his experience with Chennai Super Kings and his brief stint with the Indian team.

Quality Indian fast bowlers will always remain a premium thing and RCB should not miss out on Sharma in the 2020 auctions.

#4 Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa (Photo: IPLT20.com)

Like Mohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa has been a part of a side that won the IPL on multiple occasions.

The Orange Cap winner in IPL 2014, Uthappa scored 660 runs leading his side to a IPL trophy. Since then, he has scored more than 350 runs in four consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2018. His stock fell massively in the 2019 season as he struggled for runs throughout the tournament.

The 34-year-old will be a good back-up for Parthiv Patel as he can keep wickets and bat in the top order as well. He will also bring valuable experience that will help groom the likes of Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar deal with crucial situations in the match.

#5 Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye after taking a hat-trick on IPL debut (Photo: IPLT20.com)

For years, Royal Challengers Bangalore have struggled due to a lack of a proper bowling attack. Now, they have a young fast bowler in Navdeep Saini, an experienced wrist spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal and an off spinner who could bat in Washington Sundar. The missing piece is a bowler who could stop the flow of runs and take wickets in the death overs.

There is no better contender for the job than IPL 2018 Purple Cap winner Andrew Tye. The T-20 specialist often uses slower ball as his stock ball and the fast skidding delivery as his surprise ball. The Australian will be a sure-shot fan favorite at the M Chinaswamy Stadium if he is able to knock the bails off on a regular basis.

While David Willey, Anrich Nortje, Oshane Thomas and Alzarri Joseph will also be up for bidding in the auctions, all of these bowlers are unproven on Indian pitches and RCB have to get it right this time around in terms of their death bowling choices.