IPL 2020: RCB Auction Performance- A Fan’s Perspective
The revamped squad of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the main highlight as we look at their auction Performance for IPL 2020.
Right before going into the IPL 2020 Auction, RCB’s newly appointed Director of Cricket operations, Mike Hesson and their team Management bid INR 10 crores for Chris Morris in the final mock-up auction. A few hours later, RCB bought the Proteas all-rounder exactly at the same price.
The Revamped coaching staff of RCB which includes Mike Hesson and Simon Katich as the Head Coach seems to be on a mission to meliorate their team’s performance in IPL 2020 with the right strategy and right fit players.
Have they succeeded in that? Well, let’s analyze in this article, and find out how Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have fared in the IPL 2020 Auction, and whether they were able to address their areas of concern.
Summary of the Auction:
Squad strength post-auction: 21
Total Players bought: 8
Overseas Players bought: 6
Domestic Players bought: 2 (both uncapped)
Amount spent: INR 2150L
Most expensive player: Chris Morris (INR 1000L)
What they really wanted?
A good bowling Unit
RCB’s bowling performance, especially in the powerplays and the death overs, have been extremely poor. In IPL 2019, their bowlers took only 14 wickets, and had the second-worst economy in the powerplays. Adding to this, they conceded most runs out of all the teams in the death overs.
To complement Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammad Siraj, RCB bought the fire of Dale Steyn again, and purchased Australian paceman Kane Richardson along with death overs Specialist, Chris Morris.
Richardson, who has played for RCB in 2016 would be making a comeback in IPL with the same franchise with the hope of getting more match time as compared to his previous IPL stints. Richardson can be a solid alternative to injury-prone Dale Steyn, who played only 2 matches in the last season before getting ruled-out.
A Finisher all-rounder
In the absence of Colin de Grandhomme and Marcus Stoinis, RCB needed an effective all-rounder, and a capable finisher who can win games for the team in a crunch situation with both bat and ball. More importantly, he should be able to support the team when Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers fail.
RCB seem to have played a gamble by roping in Chris Morris at a whopping price looking at his last year’s performance. Morris, who was a part of Delhi Capitals’ dugout was at the receiving end last season with a batting average of 5.33 in six innings, and conceding runs at an economy rate of 9.3 per over. However, given his talent and RCB’s pace friendly pitches, Chris Morris can come in handy for the RCB.
Another addition to this category is Sri Lankan left-arm fast-bowling all-rounder, Isuru Udana, who has been in the news for his extraordinary effort with the bat in the T20I series against South Africa last year. While Udana’s overall record isn’t encouraging, his attacking instincts make him a dangerous option.
Less dependency on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers
Almost 45% of RCB’s total runs last season were contributed by RCB’s deadly duo of Kohli and ABD. RCB have relied heavily on these two batting stalwarts for many years now. While these two have won innumerable games for the side, there have been times when RCB had to suffer when both these players failed to make an impact.
RCB would be seeking answers from the newly purchased Aaron Finch, the no. 2 batsmen in ICC T20I rankings. We feel that Finch is a very good addition to the team. He can provide solidity at the top, and can be very dangerous in the batting-friendly pitches. Moreover, being a good leader himself, he can assist Virat on the field, wherever possible.
Additionally, RCB have also signed the Big Bash League sensation, Josh Phillipe. He has an impressive record in BBL averaging over 30 with a strike rate of above 140. Being an explosive wicket-keeper opener, Josh can be a solid alternative for Parthiv Patel, who at times can be itchy.
Conclusion:
More or less, RCB have filled in the void created in the squad during the transfer window. They now have a really good squad with the addition of Finch, Morris, Steyn, Josh Philippe, etc. It would be interesting to see how RCB fare with this completely revamped squad under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
Thanks for reading! Do let us know your thoughts on RCB’s team for IPL 2020.
ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Strongest Playing XI of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Shivam Saxena is an Author at AK4Tsay1 Cricket.
He is a Cricket enthusiast, a Movie buff, and Tech Savvy. Besides his love for numbers crunching, he is an Analyst by profession.
