The sight of Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh cracking five sixes off former Gujarat Titans' Yash Dayal in IPL 2023 is still vivid in everyone's memory. That horrendous performance had a significant impact on Dayal's career, leading to his exclusion from subsequent matches and eventually being dropped from the team.
Ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, GT released Dayal, and he was subsequently picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the recently-concluded mini auction. RCB acquired Dayal for a whopping sum of Rs 5 crore, aiming to bolster their pace bowling line-up.
RCB have a history of struggling with their bowling in the IPL. To address this, they have strengthened their squad by adding bowlers like Alzarri Joseph, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, and Dayal.
Meanwhile, RCB's new head coach, Andy Flower, who took over from Sanjay Bangar, sees great potential in Dayal. Flower recognises Dayal's exceptional ability to swing the ball and believes in his capacity to perform effectively in crucial end-game situations.
“As far as Yash Dayal is concerned, we saw some of his potential last year, certainly with the new ball for swing and wicket-taking potential. I know he had a hard time at the death occasionally, but we believe he has got high potential and we are looking for great things from him,” Flower told Jio Cinema.
Despite having a star-studded squad in previous IPL seasons RCB are yet to clinch a title. The team boasts a formidable batting order with the likes of captain Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell, all of whom are among the finest in the current cricketing world. They have the ability to turn the game around on their day, yet the franchise has not succeeded in winning a single IPL trophy.
RCB's bowling has often been a weak point, contributing to their losses in the tournament. The team has even struggled to defend totals exceeding 200 runs, leading to defeats.
Mohammed Siraj has emerged as a key player in RCB's bowling lineup, consistently delivering early wickets for the team. In the IPL 2024, he is set to spearhead the team's pace attack, with the crucial task of securing early breakthroughs. RCB will also benefit from the inclusion of fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Lockie Ferguson, providing them with the advantage of high-speed bowling that can challenge opposing batsmen. However, the team's spin bowling department appears less formidable, lacking big names. Shahbaz Ahmed is expected to be the team's leading spinner, bearing the responsibility of claiming wickets during the middle overs of the game.
RCB's full squad after IPL 2024 Auction
Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar (Traded), Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green (Traded), Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chuahan
Players picked in IPL 2024 Auction
Alzarri Joseph (Rs 11.50 Cr), Yash Dayal (Rs 5 Cr), Lockie Ferguson (Rs 2 Cr), Tom Curran (Rs 1.5 Cr), Saurav Chauhan (Rs 20 Lakh), Swapnil Singh (Rs 20 Lakh).
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