4 players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should retain ahead of IPL 2022

Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the most followed T20 teams across the globe, but the emptiness in the trophy cabinet is something the fans take with a heavy heart. Every season they enter with new aspirations, and a different look to the player setup, but they eventually find a way to knock the exit […]
 
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4 players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should retain ahead of IPL 2022

Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the most followed T20 teams across the globe, but the emptiness in the trophy cabinet is something the fans take with a heavy heart. Every season they enter with new aspirations, and a different look to the player setup, but they eventually find a way to knock the exit doors.

The IPL will be bigger and better from next season. Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises have been confirmed, which means there are two more contenders for the title. Things are not getting any easier for the side to quench their thirst, but the mega auction this time could provide a stellar output, or that’s what they will hope.

Their new look begins at the helm, as Virat Kohli won’t be captaining them anymore. They will be looking for a new captain in the auction, and perhaps a new set of match-winners as well. However, it’ll be important for them to establish a core, and in their case, there might not be many surprises as to who the four retained players will be.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma’s Highest T20I scores – Top 5 Performances

Here are the four players Royal Challengers Bangalore should retain

1. Virat Kohli

4 players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should retain ahead of IPL 2022

Kohli is the highest run-scorer in IPL history.

 

4 players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should retain ahead of IPL 2022

Although Virat Kohli has drawn curtains over his captaincy reign at the club, he will continue to be their most monumental part. As he mentioned in a video for the franchise on social media, “I can’t imagine playing for any other team,” and perhaps that’s the case for most IPL-watching fans as well.

With a new captain at the helm, it might allow Kohli to bat a lot more freely up the order, giving him the license to thrill. He is a devastating batter regardless of the responsibility on him, and it seems like there’s a raging belief of watching a new Kohli from next season.

Kohli had a fairly decent season with the bat, although it wasn’t up to his usual standards. He got 405 runs in 15 games, and that made it 400+ runs in 6 of his last 7 seasons for the reds from the South. It is indeed needless to say or speculate otherwise, Kohli will be the first player to be retained.

2. Glenn Maxwell

There are some game-changing T20 cricketers in the globe, and then there is Glenn Maxwell in his prime. His stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore was under immense scrutiny, as he cost a whopping INR 14.25 crore in the auction. He managed to provide nearly equal returns and was pivotal in a lot of their wins in 2021.

Maxwell scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75, which included 6 half-centuries. He even batted higher up the order than AB de Villiers and did not disappoint the management for showing that trust in him. He still has many good years left to provide, and RCB can make a team around this core of Kohli and Maxwell.

The Australian seems to have found a clear role for him at Bangalore, something which he did not have in the previous franchises. This could lure him into signing up once again with the team, and if he does, he will be a primary presence in the leadership setup.

3. Devdutt Padikkal

Young talent like Devdutt Padikkal, who has one of the brightest futures in Indian cricket, is worthy of investing some time in the long run. The dashing left-handed opener has had two memorable seasons with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, even winning the “Best Emerging Player” award in 2020.

He has garnered 400+ runs in both seasons for the club, scoring 473 runs in 2020 at an average of 31.53, and 411 runs in 2021 at an average of 31.61. He has maintained a consistent strike rate of 125, and it is important to note that he can bat way quicker in decent batting conditions.

He is also a home-grown lad, something the Karnataka cricket fans would immensely respect, to see one of their own in the team. Having bought him for just INR 20 lakh in 2019, he has been a worthwhile investment for the franchise and he is most likely to get major promotion.

4. AB de Villiers

4 players Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) should retain ahead of IPL 2022

AB de Villiers turns 38 next February.

One of the greatest of this generation, AB de Villiers has been a towering presence for Royal Challengers Bangalore over the last decade. Having joined them in 2011, he was retained ahead of every mega auction. The age factor seems to be catching up with this monumental batter, but for one final time, he might get retained.

To put into perspective, he is the 6th highest run-scorer in IPL history and 2nd among foreigners. He scored 5,162 runs in 184 matches at an average of 39.70 and strike rate of 151, making him a definitive superstar of the Indian Premier League.

He is one of the most revered figures in RCB for all the remarkable success he has had, fans would want him to cap off his IPL career with another 3-year stint at the same franchise. Considering a fact that he is 37 and continues to maintain fitness standards of the highest order, he can be a worthwhile investment.