"RCB can't just depend on Kohli and De Villiers for winning games"– Moeen Ali

Ahead of the IPL 2020 auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore grabbed the headlines by releasing twelve players from their squad. In a move that seemed surprising for many RCB fans, Bangalore chose to let go of Steyn, Southee and Coulter-Nile, who were touted to be vital elements of RCB’s bowling attack. RCB also decided to part their ways with vital all-rounders such as Marcus Stoinis and Colin de Grandhomme.

After releasing 12 players, RCB now have a hefty sum of Rs 27.90 to reinforce their bowling as well as batting force. Bangalore’s batting line-up is comprised of two pivotal players of the modern era- Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Despite having a formidable squad, RCB have failed to clinch the IPL trophy after making three appearances in the final of the tournament. In the previous IPL, Bangalore was affected by a string of dismal performance and eventually finished at the bottom of the table.

The Virat Kohli-led side will be looking forward to lifting their maiden IPL trophy in the upcoming season. Moeen Ali, who was one of the two foreign players retained by RCB, has stated that the side cannot rely only on Kohli and de Villiers to win games for them. He also has insisted that other players need to step up to emerge as match-winners for Bangalore. Ali is currently engaged as the skipper of Abu Dhabi in the T10 League.

“We need a good start. I think we always start slowly. We need to be brave, especially at home because the wicket in Bengaluru is very good. The boundaries are small over there and it’s very daunting for the bowlers,” Moeen was quoted by IANS on the sidelines of the ongoing T10 league. “We cannot keep relying on Virat and AB de Villiers to win us games. Batters like myself and whomsoever is coming in, have to step up and bat well,” he added.

RCB have 12 domestic and 6 foreign slots

The IPL 2020 auction is slated to take place on December 19 in Kolkata, where Bangalore will be eager to bolster their squad by making significant singings. RCB have the maximum number of slots available: 12 domestic and six foreign as the franchise have retained only crucial players of their squad.

RCB Squad: Virat Kohli, Moeen Ali, Yuzvendra Chahal, AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Mann, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini.

RCB released players: Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetymer, Akshdeep Nath, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Colin de Grandhomme, Prayas Barman, Tim Southee, Kulwant Khejroliya, Himmat Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Milind Kumar and Dale Steyn.

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