Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has made a big move by releasing some of their key players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, which is set to take place in Dubai, UAE, on December 19.
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) choice of players in the retention process sparked a lot of interest among fans and experts. One notable point of discussion is the release of experienced Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood and talented Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.
Well, AB de Villiers, the legendary South African cricketer and former RCB player, shared his thoughts on how this might affect the RCB’s bowling in the upcoming IPL 2024.
The former RCB star was especially concerned about the release of Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, and Hazlewood, highlighting their significant roles in winning matches for the franchise in the league.
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AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel: “It is the area where I would be worried. Obviously, there is Mohammed Siraj there, Reece Topley, and some experience there, but if you see the released players list, they let go of Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, and Josh Hazlewood.”
De Villiers pointed out Hazlewood's skill in controlling the bowling lineup and worried about how these departures might impact the bowling strength of the RCB, led by Faf Du Plessis.
The Proteas legend added, “Those three have won them a lot of games in the last couple of seasons, especially Hazlewood; he had just this way of controlling that bowling lineup. It has been a well-known fact that RCB's bowling has been an area of weakness over the years. Yes, the batters also made a mess at times, but you need to play as a team.”
He concluded, “You need to gel together and understand each other. More often than not, there has been this feeling of making silly mistakes, not getting the discipline right, and not doing the basics well under pressure. We know how difficult it is to bowl at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.”
Notably, RCB has INR 40.75 crores in their purse for the upcoming IPL 2024 mini-auction, where they will have to fill seven slots, including four overseas players.
(With India Today Inputs)
