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The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are in a bit of a pickle ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. They struggled to secure their first-choice picks at the auction as they were often beaten by rival bidders. They now find themselves with an uphill task to assemble a strong side.
Bangalore went hard for Pat Cummins and were willing to splurge almost all of their purse on the Australian, but lost out to the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). They ended up signing Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh and Saurav Chauhan to fill their six remaining slots.
RCB's squad after the IPL 2024 auction: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.
Here is RCB's strongest playing XI, along with their impact player candidates, after the IPL 2024 auction.
Openers: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli
RCB have a few options to open the batting. New acquisition Cameron Green is a capable hitter at the top of the order, while Anuj Rawat has been tried out without much success.
However, Bangalore are unlikely to veer away from last season's combination of Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli. While the latter is at his best in the powerplay and generally slows down in the middle overs, the skipper was the team's best batter last season and has made significant improvements to his game.
Middle Order: Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Manoj Bhandage, Dinesh Karthik (wk)
RCB have spoken about using Green lower down the order as a finisher, but that might not bring the best out of his talents. He's a proper top-order batter who can attack pace with ease, and isn't a mug against spin either.
Green could come in if an early wicket falls, or at the very least follow Rajat Patidar by moving a spot down to No. 4. Contracted for over ₹17 crore, the Aussie all-rounder needs to contribute heavily in both departments.
Patidar and Glenn Maxwell should ideally bat in the top four, but Green's presence could mean that one of two drop down. Maxwell batting as low as No. 5 isn't ideal, but he could be promoted if the top three set a good platform. And in case there are a couple of early wickets, he could be given a bit more freedom to play his attacking brand of cricket in the middle overs.
At No. 6 and No. 7, RCB have plenty of options. Rawat hasn't been in good touch in domestic cricket, meaning that Dinesh Karthik should easily be the first-choice keeper. Bangalore are also short on finishers, making Karthik's form that much more important.
Suyash Prabhudessai, Mahipal Lomror and Manoj Bhandage are the other candidates. Lomror is a left-hander who can attack spin, but his form too has been patchy in domestic cricket. Moreover, batting him at No. 6 isn't ideal, and if he plays, he will reduce the effectiveness of the other batters.
Bhandage might thus be the best option. The southpaw can take on left-arm spin dominant attacks while also being more suited to a lower-middle order than Lomror. The Karnataka all-rounder could also contribute a couple of overs, with RCB's pace attack not exactly inspiring confidence.
Speaking of which...
Lower Order: Alzarri Joseph, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal
Alzarri Joseph and Yash Dayal are two bowlers with immense potential. At their best, they will form a deadly pace attack alongside Mohammed Siraj. But will they be at their best, especially when playing half their games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium?
Nevertheless, it doesn't matter, since RCB are woefully short of options and have to rely on Joseph and Dayal. Vyshak Vijaykumar has been off the boil in domestic cricket, and while Akash Deep is an option, the variety offered by Dayal should tilt the scales in his favor.
In the spin department, things get worse for the three-time finalists. Himanshu Sharma is an exciting talent, and while he could be the side's premier wrist-spinner ahead of Karn Sharma, he might be too raw for the IPL level right now. Mayank Dagar, who was traded in, might have to be used as an impact player to beef up that department.
Reece Topley and Lockie Ferguson should be behind Joseph in the pecking order, with Tom Curran being another backup option.
RCB's strongest playing XI after IPL 2024 auction: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Manoj Bhandage, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal.
RCB's impact player candidates after IPL 2024 auction: Mayank Dagar (frontrunner), Himanshu Sharma, Suyash Prabhudessai, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat.
