IPL 2023: After the mini-auction, RCB’s best-predicted playing XI

IPL 2023: After the mini-auction, RCB’s best-predicted playing XI

The much-awaited Indian Premier League 2023 auction is finished and now all 10 teams are ready with their team composition for the future season. After making a spectacular performance in this year’s T20 World Cup, Sam Curran stole the focus in the tournament too by becoming the most expensive player with a huge cost of INR 18.5 crores. Ben Stokes and Cameron Green each received sizable payouts of INR 16.25 crore and 17.5 crores, respectively. On the other hand, Nicholas Pooran shocked the audience by being purchased for INR 16 crores.

Will Jacks and Reece Topley, two English players who made their international cricket debuts this year, were signed by the three-time champions RCB this year for a combined INR 3.2 crores and INR 1.9 crores. Last year, the Challengers finished in third place and were unable to win the championship once more. The fact that RCB has been the only team to make the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, starting in 2020, will also give them the confidence to win their first championship in 2023. They also have an ideal XI lineup after the 2023 auction, which has talented players with the ability to have an effect on the competition.

Here is the playing XI of RCB after the conclusion of the mini-auction: 

1. Virat Kohli

The RCB has had Virat Kohli as a member since its founding in 2008. He scored 6,624 runs in 223 matches during the course of his 15-year IPL career at a strike average of 129.15, with five centuries and 44 half-centuries. He failed to live up to expectations in the previous season, scoring just 341 runs in 16 matches with a miserable strike rate of 115.99. The renowned Indian cricketer was tested out as the third batter as the opener as well, but he didn’t seem good with the bat.

The franchise will be expecting some fantastic performances from him in the upcoming iteration. He has been in excellent form since the Asia Cup 2022 competition, playing several significant innings for India. Because of his recent performance, RCB supporters anticipate him to provide the squad some strong innings.

He had his greatest IPL season in 2016, amassing 973 runs in just 16 games with a strike rate of 152.03 with four hundreds. Considering his potential and reputation, it is possible that the veteran will rediscover his form in the forthcoming campaign as well. He scored his final century against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Fans are hopeful that in 2023 he will once more lighten up the event by scoring a century after four years.

2. Faf du Plessis

In the mega-auction held the previous year, the team won the services of Faf du Plessis, who played for the league’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from 2012 until 2021. RCB paid him INR seven crores for his services as captain and hitter, relying on his fantastic batting statistics for CSK.

He had a strike rate of 127.52 when using the bat, scoring 468 runs in 16 games. The former captain of South Africa tore into Punjab Kings for a stunning 88 runs off 57 deliveries to start the season. Later, he also scored two more significant half-centuries against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), helping RCB win both games.

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Speaking of his leadership abilities as he led the squad to the playoffs, du Plessis looked impressive in his role as captain. With nine wins and seven losses overall, the club finished the season as the third-most successful team of the year, led by its new captain. The slick batsman and captain will want to win the coveted IPL championship in the upcoming 2022 season.

3. Rajat Patidar

After his outstanding performance in the pivotal playoff, Rajat Patidar became one of the most important players for RCB in the most recent IPL season. His crucial 112 runs off 54 deliveries helped the club defeat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 14 runs in the elimination round. Speaking of his overall performances in the previous edition, the 29-year-old had a tremendous strike rate of 152.75 while hitting 333 runs in eight games.

Along with a century, the right-handed batter amassed two half-centuries. Patidar became the team’s most productive hitter in the match by smashing 58 runs off 42 deliveries against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in qualifier 2.

Patidar caught the attention of the franchise and fans after a few standout performances in important games. He will be a dependable hitter for the squad in the top order in the upcoming edition alongside famous players Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell.

4. Glenn Maxwell

Since the 2021 IPL, Glenn Maxwell has played a crucial role for RCB as his aggressive batting has strengthened the team’s ability to defeat powerful opponents. The Australian cricketer demonstrated his strength and made some quick runs for his team against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Gujarat Titans (GT), and Punjab Kings in the previous edition as well (PBKS).

This year, during his second season with the team, he appeared composed, scoring 301 runs in 13 matches at an incredible strike rate of 169.10, with one half-century. With the ball, the 34-year-old claimed six wickets at a 6.88 economy rate. Considering the swashbuckling batter’s incredible statistics, the squad will depend on him to produce strong numbers in the 2023 season in order to win the coveted IPL title for the first time.

The fact that he scored just 315 runs in 19 T20I matches for Australia in 2022 may worry the team, but given his talent and skills, it can be argued that the veteran could end up being the biggest match-winner for RCB as well.

5. Mahipal Lomror

In the mega auction 2022, Mahipal Lomror was sold to RCB for INR 95 lakhs. His responsibility in the group is to perform well on all fronts. However, the team offered him an opportunity as a middle-order batter because of his brave batting approach. His duty was to bolster the batting order because the team included powerful batsmen like Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, and Virat Kohli.

Even though he performed poorly in the previous competition, the franchise last month decided to keep him. He fell short of the mark of an effective batter with just 86 runs in seven games. However, the team decided to support him for another season due to his strike rate of 150.88.

In the most recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, Lomror had a couple solid outings with the bat, scoring 242 runs in seven games with a better strike rate of 88.00. His recent performance in the competition and batting prowess will give the team and its supporters optimism that he might accomplish something remarkable in the upcoming season.

6. Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik played a key role for RCB last season. He was expected to serve as the team’s finisher, and he succeeded admirably, producing successful outcomes with his aggressive batting in the final overs of the games. The team will look to him to solidify the batting order in the upcoming edition as well with his vicious batting approach in the lower order. He performed flawlessly for the squad in 2022, scoring 330 runs at a strike rate of 183.33 in 16 IPL games. The veteran will anticipate having a blast with his bat and keeping gloves to aid his club quench their hunger for the championship in 2023 as well, thanks to his fitness and talent.

But he received flak for India’s poor performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup. The 37-year-old, however, gained the backing of his franchise by being kept, and he will now aim to perform brilliantly with the bat once more in the major competition.

7. Shahbaz Ahmed

Shahbaz Ahmed was named on the franchise’s retention list last month. He was purchased by the franchise in the big auction in February of this year for a price of INR 2.40 crores. He was expected to strengthen the team with his broad range of abilities by the franchise. He improved the batting order in the 2022 iteration by scoring 219 runs in sixteen outings.

Shahbaz contributed key hits to the team as a lower-order batter in difficult circumstances. He assisted Dinesh Karthik and the squad with the bat in victories against the Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. However, the 28-year-bowling old’s performance in the competition was subpar as he only claimed four wickets at a terrible economy of 9.60.

However, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022–2023, the Bengal cricketer demonstrated his versatility with both the bat and the ball. He was Bengal’s finest player in the competition, scoring 207 runs and taking seven wickets in six games. He anticipates maintaining his IPL form in 2023 as well.

8. Wanindu Hasaranga

With his leg-break bowling, Wanindu Hasaranga will bolster RCB’s bowling unit. The team demonstrated its confidence in him by purchasing him at the 2023 mega auction for INR 10.75 crores last season. The Sri Lankan cricketer was tasked with replacing Yuzvendra Chahal in the lineup, and he did a great job of it, finishing the campaign with 26 wickets in 16 games and an economy of 7.54.

The 25-year-old contributed to the team’s run to the playoffs with his economical and wicket-taking stints. He put on his greatest bowling performances in the games against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), recording 4/20 and 5/18, respectively.

In addition to the league, Hasaranga represented Sri Lanka with a disciplined performance at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, taking the most wickets there. The leggie accomplished this by hitting 15 batters in eight games while maintaining a brilliant economy rate of 6.41. The organisation will be hoping that he improves the team with his attacking bowling mentality again in the 2023 edition given his penchant for upsetting batsmen.

9. Josh Hazlewood

Given Josh Hazlewood’s bowling statistics for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in previous seasons, RCB paid a premium price of INR 7.75 crores to acquire the Australian quick. The seasoned player gave the squad good results in exchange, taking 20 wickets in 12 games. He also joined the list of bowlers with the most tournament wickets with this effort.

The team will rely on him once more to lead the bowling attack in the 2023 IPL alongside Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammed Siraj, and Harshal Patel. The 31-year-old is renowned for being deadly during powerplays and death overs, and the team would anticipate seeing some potent performances in the 2023 edition as well.

The speedster was effective for his country’s T20I team this year, taking 26 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 7.52. Given his significant bowling performances this year and his vast expertise, RCB will consider him one of their favourite players to bring home their first championship.

10. Harshal Patel

After turning up his greatest bowling effort in the IPL 2021, Harshal Patel established himself as a bankable asset for RCB. He was awarded the Orange Cap for his 32 wickets in 15 games. He maintained his league form last year, taking 19 victims with an economy rate of 7.66.

He was reliable with the ball for the franchise in both seasons, and he is currently one of the team’s match-winning players. Due to his superb bowling statistics in 2021, RCB already purchased him during the mega auction in 2022 for an absurd price of INR 10.75 crores. He will be counted on to strengthen the team in the next competition with his enormous expertise and magnificent bowling abilities.

Patel does not rely on pace to worry batsmen like other bowlers do. He prefers to employ variations to secure wickets. His outstanding T20 performances in recent years have been made possible by the flawless use of clever angles and variations. He is also skilled at effectively trapping batters with off-cutters.

11. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj is an important player for the RCB since, along with Glenn Maxwell and Virat Kohli, he was kept on by the team last year. Siraj has been a member of the club since 2018 and has established himself as a reliable player thanks to his enormous offensive contributions in previous matches of the competition. The franchise didn’t lose faith in the bowler even if he wasn’t up to par in the 2022 edition.

Siraj was added to the retention list in November, and he will once more wear the RCB shirt in 2023. Last season, the spinner appeared to be entirely out of his element with just nine wickets in 15 games and an expensive economy rate of 10.08. He also came under fire from RCB supporters as a result of his poor performances in the tournament.

He will aim to succeed and delight the team’s supporters by putting on impressive bowling displays in the following game, though. The 28-year-old spinner gave the club his all in 2021, taking 11 wickets in 15 games at a commendable economy rate of 6.78.