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The Royal Challengers Bangalore got some fairly decent deals at the recently concluded IPL Auctions in Jaipur.
While the Virat Kohli-led RCB had traded in Aussie all-rounder Marcus Stoinis besides letting go of Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum.
But, the headline buys were Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube and Windies sensation in Shimron Hetmeyar.
A look at the players bought by RCB in the auction-
Heinrich Klaasen - Rs. 50 lakh, Himmat Singh - Rs. 65 lakh, Milind Kumar - Rs. 20 lakh, Prayas Barman - Rs. 1.50 crore, Akshdeep Nath - Rs. 3.60 crore.
Shimron Hetmyer - Rs. 4.20 crore, Gurkeerat Singh - Rs. 50 lakh, Devdutt Padikal - Rs. 20 lakh, Shivam Dube - Rs. 5 crore
RCB Squad-
Pawan Negi, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Moeen Ali, Mohammed Siraj, Colin de Grandhomme, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Dube, Heinrich Klassen, Gurkeerat Singh, Himmat Singh, Prayas Ray Barman, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Washington Sundar
Here's the complete analysis of the RCB Squad for the 2019 edition-
Batting
Like every year, RCB boast of a strong squad on paper with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers being the lynchpin of their batting unit. RCB's nemesis over the years has been the lack of potency in the middle-order putting a humongous pressure on Kohli and de Villiers.
This year they have managed to plug in some of those holes by roping in the likes of Himmat Singh, Devdatt Padikal, Akshdeep Nath and the flavor of the season- Shimron Hetmeyar.
Himmat Singh was the leading run-scorer for India U23 in the recently concluded Emerging Nations cup, finishing with 225 runs at an average of 112.50. The impressive thing about Singh is his ability to step on the gas in the middle overs and can stroke sixes at will [7 sixes in ACC Asia Cup]; which brings us to the flavor of the season- Shimron Hetmeyar.
Hetmeyar could be the answer to the long-standing problem of RCB- flexibility in the middle-order. Hetmeyar, as he has shown in the CPL and also for the Windies, boasts of the ability to adapt to different batting position- a much-needed cushion for any T20 side.
Wicket-Keeper
This was a masterstroke by the Challengers. After letting go of Quinton de Kock, RCB roped in Henrich Klaasen [Rs 50 Lakh] as a back-up for Parthiv Patel. While Patel will certainly the first choice keeper who will open the innings, Klaasen is a more than able replacement, should the Indian wicket-keeper gets injured or endures an underwhelming season.
All-rounder
After letting go of Corey Anderson, trading Marcus Stoinis for Mandeep Singh and snapping the much-talked-about all-rounder Shivam Dube, RCB has beefed up their all-rounder department which already has the likes of Moeen Ali and Colin de Granddhomme.
Picking Shivam Dube was a smart pick as the all-rounder like he has shown in this years Ranji Trophy can give it a real wack in the closing stages of the innings; something RCB has missed in the preceding seasons.
With Moeen Ali and Stoinis set to leave the IPL midway to prepare for the 2019 World Cup, Dubey and Colin de Grandhomme are great backups.
Bowling
They can maul the bowlers with their whirlwind batting. But, can they defend? This has been a dreaded question RCB fans ask themselves every year.
Spin bowling remains in the able hands of Yuzvendra Chahal backed up by Pawan Negi and a teenage prodigy in Prayas Barman.
Last year, RCB were unlucky to miss out on the services of Nathan Coulter Nile, who injured himself before the season. He is expected to be back this season and will join the likes of Umesh Yadav, who was the best powerplay bowler last year, Mohammad Siraj, Navdeep Saini, and Kulwant Kejroliya.
Death bowling still remains the issue, an area due to which RCB lost a plethora of tight games, and how they fare this time around will certainly depend on their bowler's ability to squeeze out the opposition batters in tight situations.
Ratings –
Batting – 8/10
All-rounders – 9/10
Bowling – 7/10
Let us know your thoughts on RCB’s team and if they have a chance to win their first-ever IPL title.
