Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) completed their final tasks prior to the India Premier League 2023 (IPL) edition by adding seven new players to their roster during the most recent mini-auction on December 23. By releasing just five players before the IPL 2023 auction, RCB was able to keep its core group of players after ending the 2022 season in third place.
They had a purse worth INR 8.75 crore when they entered the auction, and as was predicted, they didn’t make much noise at all. Once they had decided on their starting lineup, RCB wisely spent their money to bring in England bowler Reece Topley and batting all-rounder Will Jacks.
The two English players who have joined RCB complement the core lineup from the previous season well. In an interview with Jio Cinema on Wednesday, the storied RCB batter AB de Villiers discussed the team for the upcoming 2023 season (December 28). He was pleased with the new additions but emphasised that the top order must perform well if RCB is to change their previous pattern.
“Yeah I like the look of this team that had a good season last year, they came close. There’s a good balance, good backup, I just need a couple of guys in form. It’s the same old story I think when it comes to that, we need couple of guys in the top order to fire.”
There’s a lot of class in that line-up. Josh Hazlewood has been the best find. I think he is a quality player, very experienced. That’s exactly what we needed in the last few years,” de Villiers said.
“Looking forward to seeing these boys perform” – AB de Villiers on RCB
In addition, AB de Villiers stressed the significance of Glenn Maxwell‘s performance for the forthcoming campaign and predicted Rajat Patidar would maintain his form from the previous campaign.
“It’s just a matter of getting Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) in form and then somebody like a Rajat Patidar to make sure he continues with that kind of form and a few guys chipping around him,” de Villiers added.
Finally, AB mentioned Virat Kohli, the most prominent member of RCB and a former teammate, and claimed that Kohli’s performance will be essential for RCB to win the championship.
“Virat we know, batted well in the World Cup and if he is in form, we are gonna go a long way. So, I’m looking forward to seeing these boys perform. They’ve got a lot of confidence from last year and now it’s just a matter of building on that and taking it all the way,” AB de Villiers concluded.
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