The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad is fairly settled ahead of the IPL auction in 2023.
RCB delivered four players separated from exchanging Jason Behrendorff to the Mumbai Indians, leaving them with a generally comparable center. Under Faf du Plessis, they reached Qualifier 2 in the IPL 2022 and will want to go two steps further.
This time around, a few names who weren’t fully involved in the team’s 2022 campaign may have more on their plates. The following is a list of three RCB players who may have a significant impact on IPL 2023.
#3 Rajat Patidar
Since playing his first game for RCB in the IPL 2021, Rajat Patidar has made significant progress. Before getting a lucky break as an injury replacement for Luvnith Sisodia, he was unable to make the team for the 2022 season.
With 333 runs scored in eight matches at an average of 55.5 and a strike rate of 152.75, Patidar had a breakthrough season. He hit a career-high of one hundred in the Eliminator against the Lucknow Super Giants toward the season’s conclusion.
The 29-year-old has played a lot of domestic cricket and taken advantage of his opportunities with India A. However, despite playing in and around the ODI team, he hasn’t made his international debut yet, which has kept him under the radar.
For RCB’s hopes in IPL 2023, Patidar’s spin-hitting and overall flair will be crucial.
#2 David Willey
David Willey was always going to be RCB’s backup option. He was purchased in the IPL 2022 auction for his base price of 2 crores. At the start of the season, he managed to play four games, taking one wicket at an economy rate of 6.55 and scoring 18 runs.
However, Willey has consistently performed exceptionally well for England in white-ball cricket. He is the only left-arm pacer on the roster due to Behrendorff and Chama Milind’s departures, and his batting ability strengthens the likelihood of his selection.
Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, and Wanindu Hasaranga will take the four overseas slots, so Willey won’t be in RCB’s best-playing XI. However, the Englishman may be required to play a larger role this time around due to the impact of injuries and other forced absences during the previous IPL season.
#1 Mahipal Lomror
RCB needed a spin-hitting all-rounder in their middle order because Kohli and Du Plessis couldn’t handle leg spin and left-arm spin. Even in seven games, they faced Mahipal Lomror, who scored 86 runs at a strike rate of 150.88.
Lomror has performed admirably for Rajasthan in domestic cricket and has been associated with the franchise for some time, so Bangalore may have even more faith in him in IPL 2023. Recently, the 23-year-old’s involvement with the ball has decreased, but RCB has Shahbaz Ahmed to take over those responsibilities.