RCB IPL auction 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore low on purse, to target Indian top-order batter

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction is set to take place on Friday (December 23) in Kochi.

The 10 franchises will firm up their squads after they released a bunch of players ahead of the 16th edition of the IPL. The mini-auction will have a maximum of 87 slots up for grabs, with room for 30 overseas players to feature in the league.

READ | Which players will come in IPL 2023 auction: base price, age, country and IPL history

Here’s what RCB’s auction strategy could look like:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Remaining purse: INR 8.75 crore

Total slots available: 7

Overseas slots available: 2

IPL auction strategy: Still in search of its maiden title win, RCB doesn’t have too much money to play with. It has the second smallest purse remaining and still some gaps to fill. An Indian batter will be on top of its check list. It could eye an Indian opening batter to partner with skipper Faf du Plessis to accommodate Virat Kohli in his preferred No. 3 position. If Kohli continues to open, RCB could settle for a middle-order option too. Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey are strong contenders for these roles and can anchor the innings and complement power-hitters such as Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar. RCB’s overseas players du Plessis, Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood pick themselves and the franchise is unlikely to break the bank on filling the two overseas slots it has left.