The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) attempted to address their middle-order concerns with acquisitions at the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi last week. However, Aakash Chopra reckoned that they were unable to do so because of a constrained budget.
On Friday, December 23, the Bangalore-based franchise entered the mini-auction in Kochi with a remaining budget of INR 8.75 crore. They added seven players, including two from abroad, to form a full-strength 25-man team.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that RCB went all out to acquire middle-order batters, elaborating:
“They went searching for a middle-order batter and because of that, they went after Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Sam Curran, Cameron Green, Ben Stokes and Manish Pandey. They couldn’t take any of them because they had only 8.75 crores. You won’t even get their shadows with that much money.”
The former Indian opener observed that Faf du Plessis‘ side had a limited budget because they already had a good squad, saying:
“They are extremely expensive players, so how will you buy them? They had less money because the team is looking good. There was no need or scope for many changes. This team has openers in the form of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Finn Allen and Anuj Rawat.”
“They have quite a few all-rounders” – Aakash Chopra on RCB
Aakash Chopra added that RCB have most bases covered in the batting and all-rounder departments, explaining:
“They have two middle-order batters in the form of Rajat Patidar and Suyash Prabhudessai and wicketkeepers in the form of Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat. They have kept quite a few all-rounders – Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Wanindu Hasaranga, Will Jacks, Manoj Bhandage and Sonu Yadav.”
However, Chopra is not confident about RCB’s middle order, stating:
“If we talk about the XI – former captain Virat Kohli with Faf du Plessis, then Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik. When I say this, every time I feel that Maxwell is mercurial, and then Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik – not the right kind of middle order.”
The well-known analyst noted that Wanindu Hasaranga also scores runs everywhere but hasn’t in the IPL. He also said that since Finn Allen is primarily an opener, the three-time finalists will try to make due with Will Jacks filling in for Maxwell in the middle order.
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