Ajit Agarkar feels if Virat Kohli can take over the captaincy of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2022, it will be the easiest solution for the franchise.
Virat Kohli had stepped down as RCB skipper after IPL 2021 and was retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction 2022.
Ajit Agarkar: Easiest Solution for RCB If Virat Kohli Take Over Captaincy Again In IPL 2022
Prior to the mega auction, RCB retained the likes of former skipper Virat Kohli (INR 15 Crores), Glenn Maxwell (INR 11 crores) and Mohammed Siraj (INR 7 crores). With Virat Kohli having resigned from the captaincy post after IPL 2021, the Bengaluru-based franchise will have to shop for a captain as well during the auction proceedings (which will likely be a costly buy).
However, Ajit Agarkar feels if Virat Kohli can reconsider his decision and reclaim the captaincy post, it will be the easiest solution for the franchise. Under Virat Kohli, RCB won 64 games in 140 matches, losing as many as 69 fixtures. The 33-year-old captained the franchise from 2011-2021 (becoming the full-time skipper since 2013) but couldn’t lead them to the coveted title.
“If Virat Kohli can take over the captaincy and if he is happy to do it and if he has the energy to do it, I think that will be the easiest solution for them. At the end of the day, we have seen RCB over the years; they haven’t invested enough money in making a proper team of 12, 13 or 14 players with enough depth,” said Ajit Agarkar on Star Sports show ‘Game Plan: IPL auction special’.
“It has always been dependent on the top three, not enough middle-order players; and if you don’t have the money, you can’t do that again. So if you break the bank for one player, doesn’t matter how good he is, (he) will win you games but will never win you competitions,” the former India bowler Ajit Agarkar added.
IPL 2022 Player Auction list was revealed last week with a total of 590 cricketers set to go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction which will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13, 2022.
Ajit Agarkar: It’s A Level Playing Field For 2 New Franchises Lucknow, Ahmedabad
Hardik Pandya will captain the Ahmedabad Titans franchise and KL Rahul the Lucknow Super Giants team, the two new IPL teams confirmed while announcing their three draft picks ahead of the mega auction. The CVC-owned Ahmedabad have picked Hardik Pandya and Afghanistan star spinner Rashid Khan for Rs 15 crore each while shelling out Rs 7 crore for batter Shubman Gill, their director of cricket Vikram Solanki announced.
The RPSG group-owned Lucknow franchise signed KL Rahul for Rs 17 crore, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis for Rs 9.2 crore and uncapped leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi for Rs 4 crore. They will make the rest of their squad at the mega auction scheduled in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
Speaking on whether it is a level playing field for the two new teams (Lucknow and Ahemdabad ) coming into the auction, Ajit Agarkar said, “Yes, I think so. I think to a large extent you have got some of the big names, like Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, those sorts of names that you have been able to retain, which was not the case before when the two new teams had come earlier, which was a lot harder on those new teams.”
“So I am not sure if it’s even-stevens at the moment. It’s a good thing, but you still have to build now for the future for more teams. Older teams are able to only retain their four players, which is never easy, say for the likes of Mumbai Indians or some of the stronger teams because they have more than four players that they would have wanted to retain.”
“But yes, it is going to be about who gets the best Indians and who makes the use of that in the auction and eventually build your team around it,” Ajit Agarkar added.
The 10 IPL franchisees – Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Ahmedabad Titans will be bidding for the players.