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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) deserves full marks for retaining Mohammed Siraj ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction. Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell's retentions don't and shouldn't come as a surprise.
Yuzvendra Chahal would consider himself unlucky to miss out after being part of the franchise for almost half a dozen years, but that's not to say that the franchise might buy him back. With 57 crores left in the purse, they would have to bid pretty high for the leggie just to get their complete core team back.
Safe to say, they may have taken a leaf out of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) playbook who have rarely been enchanted by big names and have stuck to retaining their core players who have been instrumental in the team's success.
Royal Challengers Bangalore get 8/10 for their retentions ahead of IPL 2022 Auction
And for good reason. The side has lacked the presence of a consistent and promising pacer throughout their IPL run. Mohammed Siraj was their pace spearhead and was crucial in bowling economic spells, something that mid-overs bowlers like Chahal and Harshal Patel greatly benefitted from.
Siraj ended his IPL 2021 with 11 wickets from 15 matches at an average of 32.09 and an economy of 6.78. His ability to nail the lines and length in tough conditions made him Kohli's go-to bowler in the powerplay and at the death.
Retaining Maxwell was a no-brainer, especially with AB de Villiers out of the equation. The Proteas star announced his retirement earlier this year and while he may probably end up on the coaching staff for Bangalore, his replacement is worth it.
Maxwell being retained ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction also shows the faith the management has after the Aussie had a resurgence of sorts in this year's edition. He stacked up 513 runs from 15 matches at an average of 42.75 and a strike rate of 144.10, his best in three IPL seasons.
Kohli may not be skipper of Bangalore anymore, but retaining him for INR 15 crores ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction doesn't come as a surprise either.
Challenges in IPL 2022 Auction:
(i) Bag Yuzvendra Chahal for a decent amount at the IPL 2022 Auction
(ii) Figure out a suitable opener for the side
(iii) Pick two match-winning all-rounders
(iv) Find a pacer who can richly complement Mohammed Siraj
