Undoubtedly, this year's auction (2023) could have been better than expected by the fans for RCB. Only now, no matter how they perform in IPL, they would pick good players in the auction, but they could have done better this time.
They went for Mitchell Starc and Kartik Tyagi and got Yash Starc and Alzarri Tyagi instead. Even now, I hope they do well no matter how their bowling performs, but they could be more assertive on paper. Compared to their bowling last year, where they had Hazlewood, Hasaranga, Harshal, and Siraj, they need to be stronger and, this year, more experienced.
Similar to RCB, there were two more teams in the auction, Punjab and Kolkata, who could have done much better. So, based on the auction, we will make the best playing eleven for RCB, Kolkata, and Punjab in today's video. And you guys tell me in the comments how strong these teams are, according to you.
And the reason why I am talking about these three is that they love to buy overpriced bowlers. I only get views if I make videos on some, so I am talking about a couple of teams in this video.
You are a scoundrel! First, let us talk about the team that has yet to win a trophy. I am not talking about RCB, but Punjab. I mean, RCB at least puts some effort every year, but does Punjab have anything to do with the trophy? This team defines what a mid-table team is. No matter how hard this team tries, they could neither end up in the top four nor at the last. Every year, they end up in the mid-table. I mean, Punjab Kings is the Bangladesh of IPL. It's their target; they want to avoid winning.
Why did you bring me up? Think about it: last year, they bought the most expensive player in IPL, Sam Curran. But still, they came at no. 8. Even though they had crores of money this year, they bought Harshal Patel at 11.5 crores. Shivan Mavi, Shardul Thakur, Kartik Tyagi, and Indian pacers were there, but despite this, they bought the worst bowler of RCB. RCB dropped Harshal because they didn't see his worth of 10 crores. But Punjab gave him 1.5 crore extra. Now you can understand that they, too, are not making good decisions.
If we talk about Punjab's best-playing eleven, it will be different than others. I am placing the core Indian batting lineup: Shikhar Dhawan and Prabsimran Singh to open, and at no. 3, Atharv Taide. I know they have Johny Bairstow, but I think someone else should play rather than Johny Bairstow because they have enough Indian talent, like Harpreet Brar and Shashank Singh, who can play at the top. Liam Livingstone will begin the middle order, and I am playing Sikandar Raza at no.5. This guy deserves to play in the team; he has all-around abilities and is a good finisher. This is why I had to put Bairstow aside. Then comes Jitesh Sharma at no.6 for keeping and Sam Surran at no.7 for a little hitting in the end.
I know apart from Shikhar opening is a hit-and-miss, but this solid middle-order compensates for it. Finally, Harshal Patel, Rabada, Arshdeep, and Rahul Chahar. It's a decent bowling attack, including Harshal. Then comes the impact player; who can be Rishi Dhawan or Harpreet Brar? Also, I am talking about playing eleven in terms of batting-centered, which means our impact player will be a bowler. On paper, again, it's a decent team, similar to last year; Harshal Patel replaced Shahrukh Khan. But still, they have good bowling options. I think they don't come at No. 7. No. 6 is for sure. Their bench strength is really good. They have Mathew Short, Johny Bairstow, Nathan Ellis, and Rilee Rossouw. This is my final playing eleven for Punjab Kings. You can suggest changes in the comments.
Next, let's talk about the team who's going to be RCB's biggest rival. Yes, guys, Gauti is in KKR, so of course, there will be tension between these two. Please wait a little, have patience; we'll talk about RCB, too. Would you leave now that I've spoken about your team? This is not good. Even if your favorite team is not in this blog, still read it so you will know how strong your rival squad is. And on this note, subscribe to my channel.
KKR has spent all the money that they've earned from Pathan and Jawan on Mitchell Starc. Poor Shah Rukh is putting in so much effort, and Gauti is happily spending his money, especially on a player who could go back for spending time with his family. [laughing] [shocking music] These Australians take too much advantage of us. For one thing, we spend money on them in the IPL, and they take the World Cup from right under our noses.
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Coming back to KKR. Their playing eleven is very straightforward. And because captain Shreyas Iyer is back after an injury, then, guys, the team gets even stronger. And I am going to make some harsh selections for KKR. KKR fans, think before you scold me. I am placing Gurbaz and Ventakesh Iyer in the opening. Gurbaz is their only wicket-keeper, so he has to play. That means Jason Roy couldn't make his place in the eleven. Captain Shreyas Iyer, at no. 4 vice-captain Nitish Rana. Interesting thing is, Manish Pandey is back in KKR, so he can play in 1 or 2 matches. And if Gauti and Krunal Pandya can make Deepak Hooda play well, then Manish Pandey can play well. Then on no.5, we have lord Rinku. I cannot believe this guy will make just 50 lakhs, and Yash Dayal will make 5 crores. But anyway, batting looks decent. Now comes my change: I am not going with Sunil Narine; I will go with Sherfane Rutherford. I will tell you the reason in some time. And on no. 7, we have Andre Russell, and on no. 8, we have Mitchell Starc, worth 25 crores. Every KKR might be praying for him to come and play. And on 9th, 10th , 11th, we have Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakaravarthy. They have many impact players; Suryash Sharma, Chetan Sakariya, and Anukul Roy. That means this is my best eleven for the KKR. And Sunil Narine isn't on this list. Suggest changes in comments. I think their batting is good and deep, but there is some issue with dependability. I know Sunil Narine will play, but he isn't there in my strongest team because I think Sherfane Rutherford can be played in his place because Andre Russell is also a hit-and-miss when it comes to batting. He will perform in 7 out of 14 matches. But Sunil Narine will perform 1 or 2 matches out of 14. So, it's better for KKR to depend on the spinner that is already there and make batting stronger. This might be the worst decision; let me know what you guys think about it. Indian bowling looks really inexperienced, so Starc's role as a leader will be crucial. Maybe this is why Gauti spent so much on him. Don't forget that Gauti is the same guy who bought Nicholas Pooran at 15 crores, and he made him worth that amount in the last season. If he does the same with Starc, then you would take KKR seriously. Well, I remember that I posted a reel on Gauti, you guys go and check that out. But my question is, would Starc take KKR that seriously? But if bowling turns out to be good, then anything can happen. Foreign bench strength looks good in batting, but there is no replacement for Strac. I remember that I am going to rate out of 10 the auction performance of these three teams, and I will also tell you about the players that are missing from Punjab, Kolkata, and KKR. And the full list of players that these three teams bought into the action can be found on my Telegram channel. So, join me there from the link in the description.
RCB fans, thank you, your wait is over, let's talk about the RCB. I have placed them in the end because it's the easiest and the simplest to make their batting lineup. I mean, no team has such an easy top 5. Hey, say it already. Captain Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli are on top. Rajat Patidar at no.3, and Glenn Maxwell on no.4. And Cameron Green at no.5. Oh! It's the most delicious top; they alone can make 250 runs. Now, they have two more batsmen to come. I know some of you might say, Maxwell at no.3, and Rajat Patidar at no4, or Maxwell at no.5, Cameron Green at no.4. You do it among yourselves; according to me, this will be the top 5. I think this was confirmed by some RCB officials. Well, I am placing Mahipal Lomror at no. 6, and at no.7, part-time cricketer DK's brother. I think bringing in Cameron Green has been a good decision because batting depth has improved, but its question is was he worth buying at such a cost? Anyway, it's easy until no.7; you can play anyone instead of Mahipal Lomror; like, Suyash Prabhudessai, and Anuj Rawat. But the problem starts after this because now we have those who can give 250 runs. On no. 8 they have the only and not so genuine spinner; Mayank Dagar. He is the lead spinner of the team with an experience of 3 matches, and 1 IPL wicket. But I heard that he can bat and does it well. Then comes Alzarri Joseph, who is not my first choice. I am playing Reece Topley as the first choice. For sure, Alzarri Joseph is not a bowler to play 14 matches; he could be expensive so, he will be interchanged in between with Reece Topley. Then you can watch Lockie Ferguson play. 11th position is of Siraj. Again, in my final playing eleven, I don't have Yash Dayal, and he could be a great impact player where there could be bowlers like Karn Sharma and Akashdeep Singh. This is my final playing eleven for RCB this season. They have many players on the bench, mostly are pacers; I hope they have a spinner. It's like, from the time Chahal left, nobody could take his place. So, they said, let's leave spinners altogether. We'll play pacers and a part-time spinner and will win IPL just like that. The leading spinner of a team is Maxwell on Indian pitches; he couldn't have done better in the auction. Again, if they had brought in an experienced foreign bowler, they wouldn't have lost anything. Alzarri Joseph is my third choice; my second choice will still be Lokie Ferguson. The funniest thing of all is, they looked for the leading team in the IPL for two years. It's Gujarat Titans, who go to finals every time; so they stole their bowling lineup in two years. How do they differ from Punjab and Kolkata is that Punjab has Rabada as a leading pacer. Kolkata has Mitchell Starc, another leading pacer. But RCB has no foreign leading pacer, who can guide Indian bowlers? I know Mohammed Siraj can do that, and he is one of the best Indian pacers, but still, you need a foreign pacer because Siraj is an Indian; he is predictable for Indian batsmen in Indian conditions. A foreign experienced spinner brings unpredictability in your lineup. Well, whatever happened has happened, if they could do something in the trade window then okay or else, this is the team that can play well.
Now, if we rate the auction performance of these three teams, then KKR could have gone for Mitchel Strac's replacement. They have Gus Atkinson, but he is not a well-known bowler. Maybe they could have gone for Mustafizur Rahman or Dushmantha Chameera which could release pressure off of Starc. But again, I still say if this guy plays all 14 matches in form, then KKR can end up in the top 4. This one player could be their missing puzzle piece. This is why Kolkata gets a 7/10; their buys have been decent.
Punjab spent 8 crores on Rilee Rossouw, who is going to be on the bench the whole season? It's better to bring Shardul Thakur, who could play in Harshal Patel's place. He could give depth in batting, and he is a regular Indian player. They had so much money, yet they couldn't bring in good players. So, Punjab gets 4/10 according to me.
Now comes RCB. If we leave experienced pacers, like Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who were sold for crores of rupees, they couldn't have that kind of money, so they could have brought in Gerald Coetzee; they didn't even bid for him; I still couldn't understand why. This guy is in form, and he did well in the World Cup; Mumbai didn't need him; they already have Jason Behrendorff, but still, they brought in Coetzee. And again, there was no need to go for Tom Curran. Instead of going for him, if they had brought a foreign genuine spinner, then it would have made a big difference on pitches like Lucknow and Chennai. It's not like Punjab didn't bring any players; they brought them but their quality isn't great on paper so it's going to be a hit-and-miss. So, I'll give them a 6/10.
Well, how did you find their auction performances? I will see you in my next blog, where I'll cover more teams. Thank you so much for reading this blog, bye bye.