Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) gave one of the worst performances in IPL by a team, in the recently concluded IPL 2017. They struggled to get going as a unit and lost many consecutive matches. Their star-studded batting was the biggest disappointment as tikes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson and Virat Kohli, couldn’t make an impact, and this is where RCB lost momentum.
In the post, The Cricket Lounge’s Shivam Behl lists 5 players RCB would not want to retain next year.
1) Chris Gayle
The big Jamaican is one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket history. He has a good record in IPL but considering the way he batted in IPL 2017 and the amount of international cricket he plays for West Indies, RCB might release him next year. The biggest problem with Gayle these days is that he doesn’t play too many international matches and the lack of match practice was one of the biggest reasons behind his poor show in IPL 2017.
2) Shane Watson
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was arguably the biggest disappointment for RCB. He struggled to make any kind of contribution, with both bat and ball. It is almost certain that RCB will release Shane Watson for the next season.
3) Tymal Mills
The T20 specialist from England was the second most costliest buys of IPL 2017, only behind his England teammate Ben Stokes. Mills, who grabbed eyeballs with his subtle variation in pace in the T20 series between India and England earlier this year, played just 5 matches for RCB and took 5 wickets. In his own words, it was a “disappointing” season for him. RCB will surely release him and invest the huge amount of money they spent on him, on improving their combination next year.
4) Stuart Binny
Bangalore’s all-rounder Stuart Binny architected his road to international cricket through his good performances in IPL, but he has been nowhere close to good in the last couple of seasons for RCB. With so many young all-rounders already in the squad and many more making impact at the domestic level, RCB might release Binny next year.
5) Adam Milne
The fast bowler from New Zealand is known for his speed and deadly yorkers, but he was nowhere close to his best in IPL 2017. He struggled to his line right and went for plenty.
By Shivam Behl
