57 players were sold for a whopping total of Rs. 14,530 lakhs (145.3 crores) at the 2021 IPL Auction and we rate each team’s performance at the auction tables where we saw records shattered and plenty of big names go under the hammer ahead of this year’s IPL.
Virat Kohli and RCB’s quest for that elusive IPL title continues into 2021 and despite qualifying for the playoffs in 2020 and enjoying their best season in four years, RCB released a total of 10 players coming into the mini auction – a move that puzzled most of us!
Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali (at just 1.7cr), Udana (at just 50L), Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav & Chris Morris were among the big releases from the squad from Bangalore. While Chris Morris only played 7 games for the side, his presence & contributions were vital towards RCB’s run to the playoffs. RCB did secure the services of bowling All-Rounders Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel via trades with the Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction as cover for the Morris and perhaps Umesh Yadav too.
AUCTION RATING FOR RCB: 6 / 10
Sport is often about backing your players and over the years we’ve seen some of the most successful sides in the IPL (CSK, MI, KKR & SRH) apply this logic and get the most out of their players in return. RCB seems to have stuck to their chop-and-change method that often sees them making more changes to the playing XI in the season than any other side too and the same was applied to their squad ahead of an auction that didn’t have the largest pool of players to pick from either.
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Maxwell broke the bank early and while he could shock all doubters and light the IPL up in 2021, the fact that RCB spent 14.25Cr on a man that did not hit a single six and had his worst season in 2020, is hard to digest. RCB have been over-reliant on the likes of AB DeVilliers and Virat Kohli for a few years now and went on a shopping spree to find the support they need for their big boys. They went one further with unknown entity Kyle Jamieson, who for us was the most exciting name coming into the auction. With a price tag of 15cr on his back though, the big Kiwi fast-bowling all-rounder will be under pressure to deliver from ball one – and Tymal Mills will tell you that it isn’t all smooth sailing if you don’t quite deliver on the promise expected.
RCB’s BEST BUY OF THE AUCTION
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While Maxwell & Jamieson were the big-ticket buys for RCB, the exciting buy for RCB fans could be the evergreen Dan Christian! The ‘serial T20 trophy winner’ could bring the lucky factor that RCB needs to bring them that elusive silverware. The Aussie all-rounder played for the franchise in 2013 was picked up ahead of the 2021 season for INR 4.8 crores which is a value buy for someone who offers experience along with the big-hitting abilities and a smart bowling option too. He had a great campaign with both bat and ball for the Sydney Sixers, helping them defend their title in the recently concluded Big Bash League (BBL). He also skippered the Notts Outlaws to a win in the T20 Blast in England last year and has won seven other T20 titles across the globe, starting over a decade ago in the England T20 cup for Hampshire. The IPL is the one title that isn’t in his kitty and he’ll be hoping 2021 is the year to complete an astonishing cabinet!
JAMIESON BECOMES RCB’s MOST EXPENSIVE BUY AT AN AUCTION
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One would have thought that RCB may have learnt their lesson with the big underwhelming buys of Tymal & Yuvraj in the past who failed to live up to the hype or the price, but RCB splashed the cash big time with their two biggest buys in history spending an insane amount of 29.25Cr on just two men!
PLAYER | YEAR | BASE PRICE (Cr) | SELL PRICE (Cr) |
Kyle Jamieson | 2021 | 1.50 | 15.00 |
Glenn Maxwell | 2021 | 2.00 | 14.25 |
Yuvraj Singh | 2014 | 2.00 | 14.00 |
Tymal Solomon Mills | 2017 | 5.0 | 12.00 |
Dinesh Karthik | 2015 | 2.00 | 10.50 |
The additions of Daniel Sams & Harshal Patel (via trade) ahead of the auction give the side a safety net and with Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Joshua Philippe already in their squad, the added blockbuster names to the list should give them one of the strongest batting units on paper. All RCB needs to do now is convert their ever-existent “potential” to a strong title-winning run in the 14th Edition of the Indian Premier League!
[Image Credit: Royal Challengers Bangalore]
Suhail Chandhok
Vertical Head - Sports