Discarded RCB star picks up 7 wickets on ODI return

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) did a major overhaul in their squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
 By Staff Writer Jan 11, 2024, 21:49 IST
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They let go as many as 11 players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and were among the most active teams in the IPL 2024 auction.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) did a major overhaul in their squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They let go as many as 11 players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and were among the most active teams in the IPL 2024 auction. They revamped their bowling unit completely.

Ahead of the auction, they left out the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga in what was a surprising move. Hasaranga and Harshal were bought at a whopping price in the mega auction and also did well before the last season. However, the team management lost faith in them immediately.

The move to let three main bowlers go in a mini-auction was baffling, and several experts talked about it. It’s never easy to make a whole bowling unit in a mini-auction, for the options aren’t many, and the quality of players is still not as good most of the time. They bought a new set of bowlers in the auction, for RCB needed at least a couple of quality options in the bowling department.

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Despite doing a revamp, the bowling still looks thin. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the bowling department is inferior in quality than before now. The players bought are under the scanner, given the conditions in Chinnaswamy.

Discarded RCB star picks up 7 wickets on ODI return

While RCB have removed Wanindu Hasaranga, he has continued to make an impact in the international arena. Hasaranga registered his best international figures against Zimbabwe in the third ODI in Colombo. The spinner snared seven wickets while conceding only 19 runs to dismiss Zimbabwe on a mere 96.

It was the second-best bowling performance by a Sri Lankan bowler in ODIs. Hasaranga’s seven-wicket spell was also the fifth-best bowling spell ever in ODI cricket. He has wreaked havoc.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) picked him at the base price in IPL 2024 auction. They will be pleased to see Hasaranga perform. It was surprising to see no other team showing interest in him.

Hasaranga has been a consistent performer in T20Is and has extended his form in ODI cricket as well. His lean patch in IPL 2023 might have compelled RCB to remove him. Wanindu Hasaranga will look to improve his mistakes in the orange jersey next season.

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