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Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) auction strategy raised a few eyebrows when they did not opt to use Right to Match (RTM) card for pacer Mohammed Siraj and explosive batter Will Jacks. RCB's mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik who was at the IPL 2025 mega auction has expressed his disappointment on not being able to retain the two and explained why they weren't able to get them back.
“Mohammed Siraj has been a terrific bowler for us. One that we were very proud to have. But the beauty of the auction is that there are players that come on day 1 and day 2. So, you need to understand where your priorities are, how you are going to bid,” he said in RCB's media release reacting to the social media buzz.
"Now, with Siraj we were very keen on him. Again, the price that he went for was a bit too expensive at that point of time to invest because we needed to get other players. You don't want to get into a bidding war when you know that at that point of time, you don't want to spend that money. That's how the auction works.”
Karthik justifies not retaining Jacks
While Siraj went to Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rs 12.25 crore, Jacks was roped in for Rs 5.25 crore by five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI). Karthik said that they were keen on retaining Jacks but are happy with the power they have got in the middle order.
“With Will Jacks, we were very, very keen on him, a very strong RTM option. But have a look at our team. We have Phil Salt there, the opener. So, you have to get power through the middle. And hence, the likes of (Liam) Livingstone and Tim David, who bring the power that we want. So, at some point in the team, you need to understand what the dynamics and what the other options could be,” the wicketkeeper-batter said.
Emotional goodbye to Siraj and Jacks
While Siraj claimed 15 wickets from 14 games last season, Jacks scored 230 runs from eight innings in his debut season including one century. Karthik had a heartfelt note for both former RCB players.
"It is probably one of the saddest parts that we had to let Mohamed Siraj and Will Jacks go. And I wish them all the very best. Both of them have gone to good teams. But the fact is that we tried hard. They were part of the plan,” he concluded.
