It was a very interesting first day in the IPL auction, as RCB had a good, but not great time in the auction room.
Heading into the auction, RCB knew that they had to prevent their previous mistakes, as they often splurge at the beginning but then run around to fill the rest of their squad.
With Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Sarfaraz Khan already in their side, RCB had to target some solid middle-order batsmen and a couple of good quality bowlers.
In what has been their Achilles heel over the last decade, RCB never had a good stock of fast bowlers that they could count on. While the likes of Mills and Starc played for the Bengaluru outfit, the pair could maintain their fitness, which affected the team.
RCB started off quietly, as he did not participate in the initial few bid. But they came into the auction when Brendon McCullum’s name came in the auction.
RCB decided to not go back in for Chris Gayle, as no one bid for the West Indian legend. Their were probably looking to save money for the KL Rahul and Yuzi Chahal.
But then KL Rahul’s price tag overshot their budget, as RCB had to let go of one of their star players.
The Bengaluru outfit tried to buy Kedar Jadhav, but were out bid by CSK in their attempts to bring back Jadhav.
Coming out of the lunch break, RCB knew that they had to buy a wicket-keeper for their side, and they got one in South Africa’s Quinton de Kock.
With several teams interested in the wicket-keeper, RCB finally got their man for Rs 2.80 crores. Daniel Vettori’s look of relief said it all, as the RCB management took care of one of their biggest concerns in the team.
Over the last few months, there have not been many bowlers in world cricket whose reputation has soared as much as Yuzvendra Chahal. The leggie has become a crucial cog in Indian side, as his ability to take wickets in the middle overs has given India a new dimension to their bowling attack.
Which is why it was a surprise that Chahal was bought by Delhi for just Rs 6 crores! And then of course, RCB exercised their RTM card and brought back Chahal to the Chinaaswamy stadium.
Here is the RCB squad after the first day of the IPL auction:
