RCB is one of the teams that is not popular for the management of players. While on some occasions, they back the wrong players, on others, they hardly give any chances to promising players. Add to this their inconsistent performances on the auction table, RCB’s player-handling has often become a mess.
That said, the franchise is slowly improving in this aspect. While they had a decent auction in 2020, RCB also looked to have come out with a plan during the actual season. Nevertheless, the mistakes of the past would come back into the minds as soon as things go wrong.
In this article, we take a look at six players whose contracts were terminated by RCB without even being given a chance by the franchise.
1. Steve Smith
Back when IPL began, Steve Smith was part of the RCB setup for a season. However, the talented Aussie didn’t get a chance then with the franchise. At the end of the campaign, RCB made the decision to release the ‘leggie who could bat’. We cannot read too much into this move of the franchise. Smith was more of a wrist-spinner at that time and with Anil Kumble in the squad, it is understandable that the Aussie could not get any chance. Nevertheless, we are not sure if the choice to release was a wise one.
2. Sheldon Jackson
Domestic wicket-keepers are a rare commodity in IPL. It is not that India does not have many glovemen, but there are very few who are worthy of an IPL stint. Sheldon Jackson was promising, and RCB picked the youngster to the team. However, the Saurashtra cricketer did not play a single game. In the packed middle-order of RCB, Sheldon could not get an opportunity. Surprisingly, RCB even released Sheldon very quickly. This way, the player also becomes part of the list of RCB players whose contract was terminated without getting an opportunity.
3. Karn Sharma
Similar to Steve Smith, Karn Sharma was also part of RCB for a while. He also did not get a chance because Anil Kumble was on the roster. However, considering Karn could also bat, RCB might have made use of the player for a game or two. RCB did not do that and also let go of the player at the end of the season. Hence, Karn is also a part of this list.
4. Jalaj Saxena
Jalaj Saxena is one of the most unluckiest players of this era. Indian Team is still struggling to find genuine all-rounders, and despite impressing in both departments in domestic cricket, Jalaj could never get a chance. A more demotivating fact is that the player couldn’t get his due even in IPL. He was part of multiple franchises, and in almost all of them, Jalaj went gameless. The same was the case with RCB, where he failed to make it to the playing XI.
5. Subramaniam Badrinath
As part of the effort to improve the team’s domestic batting, RCB hired S Badrinath for the team. The Chennai man was an experienced IPL player at that time, and he was expected to feature for the new franchise. However, RCB did not make the necessary decision. They decided to bench the player and did not make use of expertise. Although everyone felt Badri might at least play for another season, RCB sprung a surprise by not retaining him. After the snub, the Tamil Nadu player never came back to play in IPL.
6. Sandeep Warrier
There was a lot of hype around Kerala pacer Sandeep Warrier at one point in time. It was even said that he had impressed the likes of Virat Kohli at the nets. RCB purchased him to improve the team’s fast-bowling resources. However, Sandeep never got a chance. This is despite the team failing in this department. Later, RCB also released the tall pacer back to the auctions. It is only recently that Sandeep got a chance in IPL with KKR.
