The West Indies pace bowler Alazzari Joseph was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 11.50 Crore during the mini-auction held in Dubai on 19th December 2023. RCB retained the likes of Mohammed Siraj, and Reece Topley for the upcoming season.
Before the mini-auction, RCB decided to release Harshal Patel, Hasranga and Josh Hazlewood. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling has been a problem. Joseph was a part of the Gujarat Titans franchise in the 2022 and 2023 editions. He played 9 matches during IPL 2022 with 7 wickets at an economy of 8.80 runs per over.
Joseph was retained by GT franchise last year and picked up 7 wickets from 7 matches at an economy of 9.38 runs per over.
3 other options that RCB could have picked instead of Alazzari Joseph:
- Dilshan Madushanka
Dilshan Madushanka had an impressive 2023 World Cup played in India. He bowled with great control on Indian pitches and put the batters under immense pressure. Madushanka finished as the 3rd leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 21 wickets from 9 matches (9 innings) with best figures of 5 for 80 against India at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
The left-arm pace bowler was bought by the Mumbai Indians franchise for Rs 4.60 Crore. Royal Challengers Bangalore could have gone for him as they retained Reece Topley for the upcoming season. Reece Topley injured himself after the opening match against Mumbai Indians.
He is an ideal bowler for the T20 format with lots of variations that can trouble the batters. With bowling looking weak, RCB could have bought him on pitches at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru known for batting pitches.
- Kartik Tyagi
Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to release him ahead of the mini-auction. He performed brilliantly in the last 3 seasons including Purple Cap Hall during the 2021 season where RCB progressed into the playoff stage.
Karthik Tyagi looked impressive with his death bowling for Rajasthan Royals and Uttar Pradesh. During the recent white-ball tournaments, he has touched 150 KMPH regularly which troubled the batters.
With Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling look brittle, his speed would have given the edge and helped them to solve the problem. He was bought by Gujarat Titans franchise for Rs 60 Lakhs.
- Gerald Coetzee
South African youngster Gerald Coetzee looked impressive in the recently concluded World Cup 2023. He bowled with great control and put the batters under pressure with his speed. During World Cup 2023, Coetzee grabbed a total of 20 wickets from 8 matches (8 innings) at an economy of 6.23 runs per over with figures of 4/44.
He would have created a great combination with Mohammed Siraj with a new ball and an old ball at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Coetzee was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 5 Crore but RCB did not go for him. Coetzee could have provided the power in the death overs which have been helpful for the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise for the upcoming season.
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