Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were one of the four sides to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2024 - thanks to a miraculous run in the second half of the tournament.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were one of the four sides to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2024 – thanks to a miraculous run in the second half of the tournament. They ended in the fourth position with 14 points but lost to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator and crashed out of the series.
They had plenty of match-winners in their squad, and while a few didn’t perform as expected, RCB were still a formidable unit. Faf du Plessis, the captain, and Glenn Maxwell were among the overseas players.
Fast, faster & Faf!
A rapid half-century from the #RCB skipper ⚡#TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema #RCBvGT pic.twitter.com/QS9uGsVmNL
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 4, 2024
While Faf was brilliant with the bat, Maxwell didn’t perform according to the expectations, failing massively with both bat and ball. Still, the duo were at the centre of things in the previous cycle and played a crucial role in the team’s consistent success.
The two did their job most of the cycle and were among the best overseas performers for consecutive years. Sure, Maxwell could have done better with his performances in 2024, but barring this edition, he was regular in all departments.
Name this Maxwell shot. We’ll start: The Switch Hook!#IPLonJioCinema #RRvRCB #TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/ZDsmOsOjsj
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 14, 2023
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will have some bold calls to make ahead of the next season and release a few quality players to match the IPL guidelines. For now, they seem to be releasing Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell for multiple reasons.
RCB have Cameron Green and Will Jacks as their other foreign options who are better investments than Faf and Maxwell. Both are young and have a whole career ahead of them, unlike the other two.
Green and Jacks did really well for RCB in the 2024 season and has massive potential to become a long-term investment for the Bengaluru-based franchise. The IPL rules might not allow more than two overseas retentions ahead of the mega auction.
It means RCB will have to look beyond Maxwell and Faf by making prudent calls and retaining the other two who have age on their side. If they go into the auction, RCB are unlikely to get them back, given the value and demand of such players in a T20 side.
If RCB release Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell, the duo might not get any buyers in the mega auction. Faf is already 40 and can’t play for too long; his form might also decline with age.
Hence, teams can’t gamble on him at this stage of his career, given Faf might not complete a whole cycle. In mega auctions, teams look to build towards the future and won’t find any future with Faf du Plessis.
While Glenn Maxwell isn’t very old, his skills will also wane since he will be 36 in the next couple of months. Further, Maxwell hasn’t been as reliable in IPL and failed for plenty of seasons despite top-class skillsets.
Maxwell’s best came with RCB, but he looked out of touch throughout the IPL 2024, meaning he can’t be trusted to do the job consistently. Given mega auction provides plenty of fresh and better talents in both categories, Maxwell might end up going unsold, which might look surprising but understandable from the teams’ point of view.
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