Royal Challengers Bangalore is hunting for a new skipper. It has hired Faf du Plessis during the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. Is he a contender? Here's what head coach Sanjay Bangar feels.
The 2022 IPL Mega Auction went relatively well for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in terms of buying players. Besides retaining three players, it has added 19 more while overloading its overseas slot with eight players. Former South African skipper Faf du Plessis features among the overseas players.
Notably, RCB is hunting for a skipper after Virat Kohli decided to step down from the role. While AB de Villiers was tipped to take over, he retired last year. Therefore, it makes du Plessis the next possible candidate for the position, while head coach Sanjay Bangar has hinted that he could be a perfect fit.
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"The addition of Faf du Plessis adds real strength to the batting department. He is a proven performer, a seasoned campaigner and has delivered at the highest levels. We were looking at someone who can solidify our top order, and his inclusion into the team solves just that, with diverse experience of playing across formats gives us options, not only in terms of opening the batting line but also with leadership skills," Bangar told RCB in a media release.
Speaking further on RCB's outing in the auction and explaining the possessions, Bangar described, "We planned to bring stability and at the same time, have variations owing to the changing situations in a T20 tournament. We aimed to have a substantial role for each player that we pick along with some back-ups in the same form."
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RCB grabbed eyeballs by roping in Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga for principal amounts. Explaining these buys, Bangar added that while Hazlewood would bring a "great arch to the bowling department", Hasaranga will be a treasured addition with the bat, especially as a finisher. He also hailed Harshal's exceptional performance last season and justified going that extra mile with the bid for him.
RCB IPL 2022 squad
Batters: Virat Kohli (₹15 cr), Faf du Plessis (₹7 cr), Finn Allen (₹80 lakh)
WKs: Anuj Rawat (₹3.4 cr), Dinesh Karthik (₹5.5 cr), Luvnith Sisodia (₹20 lakh)
All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell (₹11 cr), Shahbaz Ahmad (₹2.40 cr), Harshal Patel (₹10.75 cr), Wanindu Hasaranga (₹10.75 cr), Mahipal Lomror (₹95 lakh), Sherfane Rutherford (₹1 cr), Suyash Prabhudessai (₹30 lakh), Aneeshwar Gautam (₹20 lakh), David Willey (₹2 cr)
Spinners: Karn Sharma (₹50 lakh), Jason Behrendorff (₹75 lakh),
Pacers: Mohammed Siraj (₹7 cr), Josh Hazlewood (₹4.75 cr), Akash Deep (₹20 lakh), Siddharth Kaul (₹75 lakh), Chama Milind (₹25 lakh)
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