3 Players RCB should've bought in IPL 2020 Auction instead of retaining Shivam Dube

It hasn’t been easy for India to fill in Hardik Pandya’s void. He’s been pretty injury-prone over the last 18 months and it has taken a toll on the balance of the side in white-ball cricket. Vijay Shankar was tried before and during the World Cup. Ravindra Jadeja is a constant in Pandya’s absence lending balance which means one of the two wrist-spinners have to sit out. Hence, it’s been tough for the ‘Men in Blue’ to secure the Playing XI but they haven’t had a shortage of options.

Pandya’s injury gave Shivam Dube an opening. He has been a regular member in the Indian T20I team since November 2019. He’s played consistently and has got to bat at 3, 5 and 6 in different games. Moreover, Dube has bowled in different circumstances as well. However, the Mumbai all-rounder doesn’t seem to have grabbed his chances.

Dube has played 13 games and has been backed by team management but he has been disappointing. Apart from the 54 he scored when he got to bat at No. 3 against West Indies, he hasn’t done a lot with the willow. Also, he has picked up just five wickets with the ball from 11 innings as he has struggled for control.

In fact, Dube was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2019 Auction for INR 5 crores but he played just four games. He was retained this time as well. But his bad form may be proving that it may not be a great retention.

Hence, RCB could’ve looked at different options and here are three players they could’ve bought instead of retaining Dube:

1. Rohan Kadam

Rohan Kadam is one of the upcoming names in Karnataka cricket. The left-handed batsman has been a consistent performer in T20 cricket over the last couple of seasons. In fact, he’s been a key player in the Karnataka team in their two successive Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy wins.

Kadam has played 20 T20 games and has scored 794 runs at an average of 49.62. Moreover, he has a strike-rate of 130.37 and has eight half-centuries to his name. He has the ability to bat anywhere in the order. He can open but also play in the middle like he did this time around.

Hence, the local lad could’ve been a decent option. He knows the Chinnaswamy Stadium well and can adapt to different roles. With Dube not even bowling a lot last year, Kadam could’ve well fit in the scheme of things for RCB.