IPL 2022 auction: How RCB added steel and resolve to the squad

Royal Challengers Bangalore acquired Indian allrounder Harshal Patel INR 1075 CR Sri Lankan legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga INR 1075 CR Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood INR 775 CR South Africarsquos veteran batsman Faf du Plessis INR 7 CR who are the top buys among the 19 players bought by the team at the Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022In its endeavour to build a bold brigade for excellence in the upcoming IPL season RCB also added steel and resolve to the squad with the additions of veteran India wicketkeeperbatsman Dinesh Karthik INR 550 CR wicketkeeperbatsman Anuj Rawat INR 340 CR leftarm orthodox bowler amp lefthand batsman Shahbaz Ahamad INR 240 CR West Indies allrounder Sherfane Rutherford INR 1 CR India allrounder Mahipal Lomror 95 L New Zealand right hand wicketkeeperbatsman Finn Allen INR 80 L and Australia pacer Jason Behrendorff INR 75 LSolidifying the squad further RCB added more depth acquiring England leftarm mediumfast bowler David Willey INR 2 CR right arm mediumfast bowler Siddharth Kaul INR 75 L legspinner Karn Sharma INR 50 L allrounder Suyash Prabhudessai INR 30 L leftarm mediumpacer Chama Milind INR 25 L rightarm medium bowler Akash Deep INR 20 L Karnataka U19 allrounder Anneeshwar Gautam INR 20 L and lefthand wicketkeeperbatsman Luvnith Sisodia INR 20 LSpeaking about the strategy at the Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022 Mike Hesson Director of Cricket Operations RCB said ldquoWe are very happy with the way our squad is shaped with the new inclusions around the retained talents It is a really balanced team of overseas and domestic players We have managed to cover all our bases with multidimensional skill sets and that was the key to our strategy getting into the auctions Majority of things went as per plan considering the auction dynamics we managed to check off all the criteria that we had set out to achieve for the RCB team The strategy was to define dedicated roles for players who we identified and to strategically go after individual players managing the purse wisely We also successfully managed to get some of our RCB players back which was always an important part of our game plan It is certainly an achievement with the way auction dynamics plays out and the budget remains to be a constraint but we are very happy with the outcome We also looked at the availability and how fast all these players just get into the groove and the preparations to form a playing XI We are certainly excited for the upcoming season and believe we have got the arsenal to put up a quality showrdquoElaborating on the squad following the Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022 Sanjay Bangar Head Coach RCB said ldquoWe 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 We aimed to have a solid role for each player that we pick along with some backups in the same form We have achieved a wellrounded pool of talents from international and domestic cricket 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 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 Josh Hazelwood 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 brings a wealth of experience in the T20 format Wanindu Hasaranga is a wrist spinning allrounder 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 couldnrsquot be happy to reinvest in players who we have seen develop over the years We are now eagerly awaiting the start of our preparations with these talents and get onto the real execution on the field for an exciting season aheadrdquoSpeaking about the Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022 Prathmesh Mishra Chairman RCB said ldquoWe are very pleased with the squad that we have assembled over the two days at the Tata IPL Mega Auction 2022 We have got some seasoned players who we have witnessed giving eclectic performances in the recent cricket tournaments and talented youngsters who have shown tremendous potential with their consistent efforts in their rising cricket career We were very clinical in our plans and have ensured players who have a fearless attitude and embody our philosophy of Play Bold to get on this journey with us and enjoy their stint at RCB playing their style of cricket We look forward to an exciting season of cricket entertainment with these exceptional bunch of playersrdquo