A new era begins for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as Virat Kohli will be part of the team but not as a captain. While the franchise is yet to announce their captain for the 15th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), they have retained Glenn Maxwell as their overseas pick as AB de Villiers announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
Players Retained
Virat Kohli
Kohli had already made a big statement while stepping down as RCB’s captain that he will only play for the Bangalore franchise till the time he retires. The franchise repaid his loyalty by retaining him for the 15th edition of the event. Kohli has been retained for Rs 15 crore.
Glenn Maxwell
Last season was the turning point in the IPL career of the explosive Australian batter. Maxwell was the top-run scorer for the franchise with 513 runs in the 15 matches. And his impressive numbers with the bat and ability to deliver a few overs made him an automatic choice for the franchise. Maxwell has been retained for Rs 11 crore
Mohammed Siraj
It was one of the most difficult choice for RCB management whether to go with Yuzvendra Chahal or Mohammed Siraj. But eventually, they decided to go with Siraj. It will be interesting to see if Chahal enters the mega auction pool or gets snapped up by one of the two new franchises. Siraj has been retained for Rs 7 crore.
Remaining purse - Rs 57 crore
Notable exclusions
Harshal Patel was one of the main reasons behind RCB advancing to playoffs as he finished the season with 32 wickets to his name. The consistent performances also earned him his debut cap for India. However, Harshal failed to make it to the list of retained players of the franchise. Chahal was also exceptional in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 but did not find a place in the side.
Players Released
Yuzvendra Chahal, Finn Allen (wk), Pavan Deshpande, Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed,, Navdeep Saini, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Daniel Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, K.S. Bharat
