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Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Robin Uthappa reckoned that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) should appoint Rajat Patidar as their skipper ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction which is scheduled to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
RCB have released their skipper Faf du Plessis as they retained just three players including Virat Kohli (21 Crore), Rajat Patidar (11 Crore), and Yash Dayal (5 Crore) the franchise will enter the auction with a purse of INR 83 crores with three Right-to-Match cards.
Uthappa reckons that Patidar will be a perfect fit for RCB as their leader for the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league.
"I think they should look at Rajat Patidar to take over that role because it seems like you need a new leader after two years. So, you might as well do it now to get ahead of the curve and build a captain for the next three to five years. Rajat is one of those players who can actually play that role for them," Uthappa said on JioCinema.
Each franchise enters the IPL mega auction with a total purse of INR 120 crore. Among them, Punjab Kings have the largest remaining budget of INR 110.5 crore, having retained only two uncapped players—Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh—for a combined amount of INR 9.5 crore. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have the smallest purse of INR 41 crore after retaining six players, the maximum allowed. Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, go into the auction with a budget of INR 51 crore.
As per the auction rules, teams can retain up to six players, which includes a maximum of five capped players and two uncapped players. Franchises have the flexibility to retain players outright or utilize the Right-to-Match (RTM) card during the auction. The RTM option allows a team to reclaim a player by matching the highest bid made by another franchise after the bidding process ends.
Punjab Kings, with only two retained players, hold the highest number of RTM options at four. Royal Challengers Bangalore, retaining three players, will have three RTM options, while Delhi Capitals, with four retained players, have two RTMs. Franchises like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants retained five players each, leaving them with just one RTM option.
Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, having retained six players each, will not have any RTM options available in this auction.
