‘You won’t even get Sam Curran's shadow with that money': Ex-IND star's blunt remark on RCB's outing in IPL 2023 auction
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra analysed RCB's mindset in the auction and pointed towards their search for a middle-order batter.
Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) bought six players in the recently held Indian Premier League(IPL) 2023 auction on Friday. Sonu Yadav (INR 20 lakh), Avinash Singh (INR 60 lakh), Rajan Kumar (INR 70 lakh), Manoj Bhandage (INR 20 lakh), Will Jacks (INR 3.2 crore), Himanshu Sharma (INR 20 lakh), Reece Topley (INR 1.9 crore) were the players that RCB got into their squad.
The Bangalore-based franchise had a purse of INR 8.75 crore in the auction and went after some 'hot picks' including the likes of Sam Curran, Cameron Green, Ben Stokes and Harry Brook but couldn't buy them due to their money constraints. Curran was eventually 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. In a fierce bid battle, Australian all-rounder Green was roped in by Mumbai Indians for INR 17.50 crore. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra analysed RCB's mindset in the auction and pointed towards their search for a middle-order batter.
"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," said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
The 45-year-old further highlighted why RCB had less money as they had already bought some key players in the previous auction and the retained players' squad was already good to begin with.
"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," he added.
"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," noted Chopra.
However, the former India cricketer opined that despite having good players in their squad, RCB would indeed miss a middle-order batter in the upcoming season of IPL. Chopra labelled Glenn Maxwell a mercurial player who is a wrong fit for the middle-order batting position.
"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," he concluded.
