Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is a proven performer who, according to Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Sanjay Bangar, will strengthen the top-order batting and benefit the team with his leadership skills, after acquiring his services in the IPL 2022 auction.
RCB had retained three players before the IPL 2022 auction — Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj.
The 37-year-old veteran batter, who has played for the Chennai Super Kings for a decade and has also opened the batting for them, was one of RCB's top buys at INR 7 crores at the IPL 2022 mega auction, where the team purchased 19 players.
“The addition of Faf du Plessis adds real strength to the batting department. He is a proven performer, a seasoned campaigner and has delivered at the highest levels,” Bangar said in a release from the franchise, a day after the auction.
“We were looking at someone who can solidify our top order and his inclusion into the team solves just that, with diverse experience of playing across formats gives us options, not only in terms of opening the batting line but also with leadership skills.”
RCB also paid Rs 10.75 crores to buy back Harshal Patel, Rs 10.75 crores for Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, Rs 7.75 crores for Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, and Rs 5.50 crore for India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik.
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“We are quite satisfied with our haul at the auctions to form a balanced team. Our plan was to bring stability and at the same time, have variations owing to the changing situations in a T20 tournament,” Bangar said.
“We aimed to have a solid role for each player that we pick along with some back-ups in the same form. We have achieved a well-rounded pool of talents from international and domestic cricket,” he added.
Speaking about some of their top buys, Bangar said: “Josh Hazlewood brings a great arch to the bowling department. He has been in the circuit for quite some time, showing us every time what he does the best and bringing a wealth of experience in the T20 format.
“Wanindu Hasaranga is a wrist spinning all-rounder who can bat at 7, and we were looking closely at picking a quality leggie in the spin department. The fact that he can contribute with the bat as well is a great value add. We required a good No. 6 and a finisher, who we have found in Dinesh Karthik.
“Harshal Patel did exceptionally well in the last season and was a natural choice for us to go that mile on the bid. We are very happy to have him and some of our players return to the RCB family and we couldn’t be happy to reinvest in players who we have seen develop over the years.”
(With PTI Inputs)
