An in-depth preview of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction including their strengths, weaknesses, purse remaining, players to target and more.

RCB will enter the auction with Andy Flower as their new head coach alongside a new technical director, Mo Bobat. They have made the final on three occasions (2009, 2011 and 2016) in addition to a runners-up finish in the defunct CLT20 in 2011.

Despite possessing some of the biggest stars of the T20 format over the years, the side has somehow failed to cross the last hurdle to claim its maiden silverware.

Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2024 auction preview: Trades, full squad, purse & slots remaining

Trades

In a high-profile pre-auction trade, Australian all-rounder Cam Green switched his alliance to RCB from the Mumbai Indians. In 16 outings for Mumbai, Green scored 452 runs at a strike-rate of 160 while averaging 50.22 with the bat. Besides his batting exploits, he also scalped six times, establishing his all-round credentials. Green was acquired by MI for INR 17.5 crore ahead of the 16th season and was released to free up funds in their pursuit of Hardik Pandya.

In the other transfer, Royal Challengers Bangalore traded in Mayank Dagar (INR 1.8 crore) from Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Shahbaz Ahmed (INR 2.4 crore).

Players released

Indian: Harshal Patel, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh, Siddharth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav

Overseas: Josh Hazlewood, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Wanindu Hasaranga

Squad before auction

Overseas: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Reece Topley, Will Jacks, Cam Green

Indian: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Mayank Dagar

Purse remaining (in INR)

23.25 crore

Slots remaining

6 (3 overseas players)

RCB IPL 2024 auction preview: Strengths

An envious batting line-up

RCB have always been a side that has stacked up their batting with heavyweights. The current line-up boasts one of the most fearsome top six, with Kohli as lynchpin. The arrival of Green has galvanised their line-up, which already boasts du Plessis and Maxwell as the top overseas gun batters, besides the domestic hitters Patidar and Karthik.

Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2024 auction preview: Weaknesses

Bowling lacks venom

Besides the M Chinnaswamy stadium being a kryptonite for the bowlers, RCB’s lack of bowling depth hasn’t helped their cause either. That they released marquee signings such as Hazlewood and Hasaranga, among other members from the previous year’s bowling group, indicates a likely overhaul. Ever since Yuzvendra Chahal’s departure in the 2022 mega auction, RCB are yet to find a spinner who can provide regular breakthroughs on the Bengaluru belter.

Domestic batters need to deliver

One of the weak links that bothered the franchise in 2023 was the lack of batting depth beyond the fiery trio of du Plessis, Kohli and Maxwell. While Patidar’s recovery from a heel injury that ruled him out for the entirety of 2023 will address some part of it, Karthik needs to pull up his socks after an underwhelming last season.

Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2024 auction preview: Potential first XI (from retained)

Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Reece Topley, Mohammed Siraj.

Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2024 auction preview: Players to target

Pace bowlers: Like other sides, RCB are actively seeking a frontline pacer. Their quest for a firebrand quick can see them patching up with Mitchell Starc, who represented them in 27 games across two seasons in 2014 and 2015. Starc, with 34 wickets at an average of 20.38 and an economy rate of 7.17, has been reportedly approached by as many as five franchises. Gerald Coetzee is another option on their radar to solve their bowling woes.

Among the Indian contingent, Karthik Tyagi and Chetan Sakariya are quality options they can target.

Spinners: RCB letting go of Hasaranga means there’s a void in the spin department. While Karn and the newly recruited Dagar are in their arsenal, expecting them to replicate the role of a strike bowler is a bit overboard. Ideally, they can go for some Indian twirler like M Ashwin, if not, South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman can be viable alternatives.

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