IPL Mega-Auction 2022: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Topsy-Turvy ride at the Auction

Royal Challengers Bangalore are still looking for their maiden IPL title. They headed into the auction on the back of a few marquee retention's in Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj. The Challengers from Bangalore have featured in the final of the Indian Premier League on three occasions (in 2009 to  Deccan Chargers, in 2011 to Chennai Super Kings and in 2016 to Sunrisers Hyderabad) but they lost all of them. They were looking to build a squad that could help them get their hands on the trophy that has eluded them since its inception. The major headache for RCB heading into the auction was their search for a skipper to lead the team as Virat Kohli decided to leave the captaincy role.

Faf du Plessis for INR 7 crores, the deal of day 1 for Royal Challengers Bangalore

They stole the show with their very first purchase as they bought Faf du Plessis for just INR 7 crores. They were in search of a skipper and a batter who could replace AB de Villiers as he had decided to retire from all forms of the game. His absence meant they had a huge void left to be filled and they might have found the perfect replacement for him in Faf. 

The former South African skipper is one of the most consistent batters in the world and his recent performances suggest that he is an absolute steal. RCB solved quite a few of their issues with the signing of the former CSK batter who has an excellent record in the IPL. In the last two seasons, the South African veteran has played 29 matches, at an average of over 40 and a strike-rate that touches 140.

Missing out on Yuzvendra Chahal and Devdutt Padikkal

The Bangalore based franchise decided against retaining Yuzvendra Chahal and Devdutt Padikkal ahead of the auction. It came as a huge surprise to all their fans but they did expect RCB to get them back in the auction, but things haven't really gone that way. They have failed to bring any of the two back to the franchise sparking a huge debate amongst their fans.

Chahal has picked up 51 wickets with an average of 21.43 at the Chinnaswamy. The Indian leg spinner has been one of their successful bowlers on their home turf and he has played a huge part in the little success that they have had in the league. RCB letting him join Rajasthan Royals for just INR 6.50 crores sent shock waves across their fan base. They haven't really bought a replacement for him and might regret letting him go.

Devdutt Padikkal averages over 30 with a strike rate of over 125 in his short IPL career and is a great future prospect. The fact that he is just 21 years old and has already proven his mettle in the toughest twenty and letting him go might hurt them big time. The men in red and gold have failed to get him back in the auction as Rajasthan Royals have snapped him up for a price of INR 7.75 crores.

While the team has found some interesting replacements for their former stars in, Faf Du Plessis, Dinesh Kartik and Finn Allen it will be very interesting to see if the new names can prove their worth to the franchise and help them clinch their maiden IPL title.

Signing Harshal Patel for INR 10.75 crores

The Royal Challengers once again stole the show when they managed to secure back Harshal Patel. The Indian pacer was last year's purple cap winner and RCB have managed to secure his signing for a huge price tag of INR 10.75 crores. While he was magnificent in IPL 2022 it will be intriguing to see if he can live up to the price tag.

None of the other pacers were able to rack up a huge amount. Only a few managed to go past the price tag of INR 10 crores therefore paying almost INR 11 crores for Patel who is still a one-season wonder doesn't sound like a smart buy.

RCB could have easily retained him for around 6 crores but they opted to let him go and have now ended up paying over 10 crores. The communication that RCB had with him was that if they retain him for 6 crores, 9 crores would be deducted from their purse as he would have been their fourth pick. Bangalore's three retention Kohli, Maxwell and Siraj would get 15 cr, 11 cr, and 7 cr respectively whereas if they had also retained Harshal the prices of the first three retentions would have gone up by a crore each resulting in an extra 3 crore being deducted from their purse. As a result, they decided to let him go in the auction and try to get him back.

The indecision to hold onto KS Bharat costs RCB INR 8.90 crores

The other taking point from Royal Challengers Bangalore's purchases was related to the wicket keeper slot. Bangalore opted for uncapped Indian keeper Anuj Rawat and the veteran Dinesh Kartik to their squad for a combined fee of INR 8.90 crores. Anuj Rawat is an untested commodity when it comes to the IPL, but his record in the domestic circuit is decent enough. The question here is will he be able to deliver in the toughest twenty, hopefully, he does live up to the price tag of INR 3.40 crores.

This came as a surprise to a lot of people as the consensus was that if they don't get an overseas keeper they would look to bring in KS Bharat who bats in the lower middle order and has already proved himself on multiple occasions in the IPL while playing for them. Bharat was roped in by Delhi Capitals for just INR 2 crores. RCB could easily save a huge stack of money had they gone for him rather than spilling the cash on Rawat as well as DK. Even though Karthik might bring in the experience, his best days are behind him.