Royal Challengers Bangalore did not go heavy on batters in the IPL 2022 auctions. Instead, they brought Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga back, with a huge sum of money, and got Josh Hazlewood as well. They also brought Dinesh Karthik back in the mix and picked Faf du Plessis to partner Virat Kohli at the top as well as a potential captain choice.
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Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for IPL 2022
Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Suyash Prabhudessai, Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Luvnith Sisodia, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Jason Behrendorff, Chama Milind, Karn Sharma, Siddarth Kaul, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford, Aneeshwar Gautam, David Willey.
Strengths
- Kohli and du Plessis can be a solid opening pair. If they are on song, they will compete against each other for the Orange Cap, swelling Bangalore's chances.
- At INR 7.75 crores, Hazlewood was a steal. He has been in the form of his life across formats, and can build a spectacular trio of fast bowlers, alongside Siraj and Harshal.
Weaknesses
- Bangalore may again experiment for the No. 3 position. Rawat will be their first choice, but Shahbaz will come soon if he fails to make an impact in two or more matches.
- Lack of experienced Indian batters. This has been a problem for Bangalore for some seasons now, but still, they have not managed to solve things out.
Strongest possible XI for IPL 2022
Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Chama Milind.