It's the same old story when it comes to that…': AB de Villiers delivers honest verdict on RCB after IPL 2023 auction
Former South Africa cricketer AB De Villiers assessed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as a team ahead of IPL 2023 season.
The auction of players for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season was conducted on Friday, December 23. A total of 80 players, 29 of which were overseas, were bought in the mini-auction. The gala event proved to be a jackpot for all-rounders as Sam Curran, Cameron Green and Ben Stokes emerged as the top three most expensive buys in the history of IPL. Curran was bought by Punjab Kings for a whooping amount of INR 18.50 crore while his compatriot Stokes fetched INR 16.25 crore and went to Chennai Super Kings. Australian all-rounder Green was roped in by Mumbai Indians for INR 17.50 crore.
With the auctions done, the squads for the respective IPL teams also got completed. Cricket experts expressed their opinion on the squads and did an analysis of the teams. Talking on Jio Cinema, former South Africa cricketer AB De Villiers assessed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as a team ahead of the tournament.
"Yeah I like the look of this team that had a good season last year, they came close. There's 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. I feel the bowling attack, Josh Hazlewood has been the best find. I think he is a quality class player, very experienced. That's exactly what we needed in the last few years. It's just a matter of getting Maxi 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. Virat we know, batted well in the World Cup and if he is in form, we are gonna go a long way. So looking forward to see 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.
The former South African cricketer also rated the RCB selection at the auction and gave them nine out of ten points for picking players on a thin budget.
"It's(RCB) not my number one. It's nine out of ten but they'll come close, said De Villiers.
After fifteen seasons of IPL, RCB are yet to win the title. They finished as runner-up on three occasions.
