Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper has expressed his happiness with the buys his franchise made during the IPL 2021 auction.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli loved his team’s acquisitions in IPL 2021 auction held in Chennai on Thursday. Saying that the franchise RCB got what they wanted, the 32-year-old added that the new additions to the team will help the franchise propel in the right direction.
Virat Kohli Praised Royal Challengers Bangalore Fans For Showing Support
Further, Virat Kohli praised RCB fans and called them the “best fanbase” and urged them to continue support. The Royal Challengers have never won the IPL but finished runners-up on three occasions between 2009 and 2016.
“Very very happy with our buys and the results we had in the auction. We got what we wanted for the balance and strength of our squad. We had a really good season last year and we believe that the new additions are going to propel us in the right direction going forward,” said Virat Kohli in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.
“I just want to say it again, to the best fanbase… We look forward to your support”- Captain Kohli addresses RCB fans and shares his views about the recently concluded #IPLAuction and our #ClassOf2021@imVkohli#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/qUxt9xTVSj
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) February 20, 2021
“Hopefully, a couple of more steps further than the last year. Cannot wait to be back and get going for RCB this year. Just want to say once again, RCB fans are the best fanbase, we look forward to your support,” Virat Kohli added.
The Bangalore outfit also made some investment before the auction by trading Harshal Patel and Daniel Sams from Delhi Capitals (DC). After all the retention and trading, RCB was left with a purse of a whopping INR 35.7 crore and a maximum of 11 slots to fill including three overseas slots.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Retained 12 And Released 10 Cricketers
The team retained just 12 players while releasing as many as 10 players that included some notable names like Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, and Moeen Ali. RCB released Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, Pavan Negi, Parthiv Patel (retired), Dale Steyn (unavailable), Isuru Udana, Umesh Yadav from their IPL 2020 squad before IPL 2021.
While Chris Morris was one of the best performers for RCB, having bowled considerably well since a late inclusion in the squad in IPL 2020, Moeen Ali and Aaron Finch are also two popular names in white-ball cricket. In the 2020 season which was played in the UAE, Umesh Yadav played just 2 matches for RCB and went wicketless.
Australia limited-overs captain Aaron Finch, who was RCB’s senior opening batsman in IPL 2020, is one of the big names to have been released. Chris Morris, Moeen Ali, and Dale Steyn’s contracts with the franchise have also come to an end.
RCB bought Glenn Maxwell (Rs 14.25 crore, Kyle Jamieson (Rs 15 crore), Dan Christian (Rs 4.8 crore), and 5 other players at their base price. KS Bharat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby were the other 5 buys along with Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian, and Glenn Maxwell for RCB.