Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of the most popular franchises in IPL. Although they have not won the trophy, RCB has gained a lot of fans due to the brand of cricket they play and also some of the stars who represent them. The franchise has always been known to make big-name and big-money signings. In fact, till now, no other franchise has spent more money on its players than RCB. In the process, the team has had to overspend on many cricketers at various auctions. On that note, here, we take a look at the most expensive RCB XI in IPL auctions.
Note: This playing XI was constituted keeping in mind expensive players purchased at the auction and also the balance of the squad.
Openers: Shane Watson (INR 9.5 Cr) and Faf du Plessis (INR 7 Cr)
Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis will open the batting for this RCB XI in IPL auctions. It was for IPL 2016 that RCB hired the services of Watson. The Aussie was not at his best for the franchise and to an extent, he was also not used well. Later at CSK, though, Watto did well and won a few trophies.
Faf du Plessis is one of the recent recruits by RCB. He captained the team in IPL 2022 and will do so in IPL 2023, too. The South African might end his career in IPL with a stint at RCB.
Middle-Order: Kevin Pietersen (INR 7.6 Cr), Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 Cr) and Dinesh Karthik (INR 10.5 Cr)
After the lacklustre show in IPL 2008, it was clear that RCB needed aggressive batters. Hence, they broke the bank for English cricketer Kevin Pietersen. However, the Englishman only played the first few games in that season for the franchise.
Yuvraj Singh was RCB’s top signing in IPL 2014. Although RCB released him back, they also tried to re-hire him but Delhi Daredevils won the bid for Yuvi. Therefore, the franchise spent in excess of INR 10 Cr for DK’s services. The player could not succeed in his first stint but in his current time with RCB, Dinesh Karthik is doing well.
All-Rounders: Glenn Maxwell (INR 14.25 Cr), Chris Morris (INR 10 Cr) and Wanindu Hasaranga (INR 10.75 Cr)
It will be a strong all-rounder’s unit for this RCB XI in IPL auctions. RCB never had a reliable all-rounder as the other successful teams had. Hence, at times, they had to splurge on this profile of cricketers.
After procuring Maxwell for INR 14.25 Cr at IPL 2021 Auctions, they retained him for IPL 2022. Chris Morris came at INR 10 Cr for IPL 2020 and helped the team at the death. He was then released and Rajasthan Royals paid top dollar to hire him. Wanindu Hasaranga is one of the top-earning cricketers at RCB currently. The franchise would want him to repay their trust.
Bowlers: Kyle Jamieson (INR 15 Cr), Harshal Patel (INR 10.75 Cr) and Tymal Mills (INR 12 Cr)
Just like all-rounders, RCB also missed a solid pace attack. Hence, they had to always invest in this profile at almost every auction. It is in this process that RCB arguably made its most forgettable investments in auction history. Both Jamieson and Tymal Mills played for one season and were unsuccessful in their attempt.
In Harshal Patel’s case, though, RCB invested based on necessity. He had won the Purple Cap and had to be brought back. In IPL 2022, at least, Harshal did well to justify his price tag.
