The Royal Challengers Bangalore were excellent in the first half of IPL 2020. They remained in the upper half of the standings and attained the fourth position in the final points table. Unfortunately, the Bangalore-based franchise lost momentum in the final phase of the competition as they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator match.
Still, Virat Kohli would be satisfied with his team’s performance as they had been struggling to win the last few seasons. The Royal Challengers Bangalore will kick off their IPL 2021 pre-season with the aim of retaining the perfect core group of players. Over the years, RCB have released some talents that became match-winners for the other franchises.
Captain Virat Kohli, wicket-keeper AB de Villiers, opener Devdutt Padikkal, and all-rounder Chris Morris are some names who will stay at the RCB franchise only. Even Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Washington Sundar will likely continue to represent the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 season.
Two members of RCB’s IPL 2020 squad have already confirmed they would not play in IPL 2021. While Parthiv Patel has announced his retirement from all formats of the game, Dale Steyn has declared that he does not wish to play in IPL 2021. So, these two players will definitely be released by the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Josh Philippe, Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, and Isuru Udana are the four foreign players whose retention is not likely. It is likely that Udana and Ali might get another contract because they are all-rounders. Also, Udana is a left-arm pacer, while Ali is a left-handed batsman, who will add variety to the RCB lineup. Philippe is still young and is doing a great job in the Big Bash League. With Parthiv Patel retired, RCB might not want to release Josh before IPL 2021.
Aaron could return to the auction pool because he has struggled a lot in the IPL. During the previous season, uncapped Devdutt Padikkal played better than the Australian cricket team captain. Adam Zampa joined RCB as Kane Richardson’s replacement and could continue to play for them because of his excellent T20 performances.
Among the Indian players, Umesh Yadav might return to the auction pool as he has not been so successful in the IPL. Shivam Dube and Gurkeerat Singh Mann could not impress much with their finishing skills. Hence, RCB could release them. Pawan Negi and Pavan Deshpande did not play a single match in IPL 2020, so, it would be harsh to release them. Shahbaz Ahmed showed some promise in the two games he played. RCB should try to retain him and groom him for the future.
If RCB makes the aforementioned decisions, they will have two overseas slots left in their squad. Kane Richardson could be a player who could receive another contract from the Bangalore-based franchise. Meanwhile, RCB could sign someone like Dawid Malan or Heinrich Klaasen to make up for Aaron Finch’s absence in the squad.
Players RCB might retain: Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj, Chris Morris, Josh Philippe, Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Isuru Udana, Pawan Negi, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Adam Zampa, Pavan Deshpande.
Players RCB might release: Aaron Finch, Parthiv Patel, Dale Steyn, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Mann Singh,
