Former Indian World Cup winner RP Singh has urged Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to play Lockie Ferguson over Alzarri Joseph in their playing 11 in the IPL 2024 despite picking the West Indies pacer for a bigger amount in the auction.
Royal Challengers Bangalore spent Rs 11.50 crores for highly ranked Alzarri Joseph and Rs 5 crores to gain the former Gujarat Titans fast bowler Yash Dayal. The Bangalore-based franchise acquired Lockie Ferguson in the expedited round for Rs 2 crores and could be a valuable addition to the team given his experience in the IPL and International Cricket.
Speaking On JioCinema, RP Singh believes that Lockie Ferguson should be preferred over Alzarri Joseph in the starting XI owing to his potential impact on the game and that a player does not need to be played in the starting 11 if given more money.
“I will make one change. I will want to keep Lockie Ferguson instead of Alzarri Joseph. I feel he can have a bigger impact. If you have given more money to someone, it doesn’t mean you have to play him, or that you need to build your team around him,” RP Singh said.
The squad had a lot of bowling shoes to fill after releasing Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood, Indian Harshal Patel, and Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga during the off-season. The Faf du Plessis-led side found Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Tom Curran, Yash Dayal, and Swapnil Singh, all of whom can contribute to the team’s bowling attack.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Surprised Me A Little – RP Singh
RP Singh expressed surprise at RCB’s pursuit of Alzarri Joseph and subsequent decision to add Ferguson to their club. Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph are known for their fast and tearaway pace bowling and can breathe new life into the RCB’s bowling attack.
“RCB surprised me a little. The most surprising thing was they left Lockie Ferguson and went a long way for Alzarri Joseph, who was the next player after him. Then they also included Yash Dayal in their team. They also took Tom Curran later,” RP Singh added.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were unable to find a replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga in the IPL auction, therefore it will be up to Karn Sharma, Mayank Dagar, Himanshu Sharma, and Glenn Maxwell to create an impact for the squad in the spin-bowling department.
