Insight, perhaps, was not the watchword in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s auction process, for long. In the past, they assembled a slew of stars and then tried to build the team around them.
It was so glaring in the mid 2010s ‘Galactico’ era of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers when RCB was a three-man team.
But the appointment of Mo Bobat and Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik into the coaching staff changed the template, and it reflected in RCB’s approach in the auction room in 2024.
In Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer some of the biggest names in contemporary Indian cricket were available to buy, and going by the past precedent, RCB would have broken their vault to acquire at least two of them. Instead, they focussed on value buys such as Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, Phil Salt, Suyash Sharma, Romario Shepherd and Tim David.
Each of them have played important roles in RCB’s wins this season to prove their worth — home and away.
It was clear that RCB wanted certain players to suit certain roles within the team, rather than purchasing players merely on their reputation.
“I think we got predominantly what we wanted in terms of playing personnel. But more importantly, with the actual shape of the team and the vision of that team that Andy and I spent so much time thinking about and talking about, we pretty much nailed that. And you get to see that come to life on the field,†said Bobat, the RCB’s director, in a release.
The acquisition of Salt offers the most palpable validation of those words. The RCB was ready to let go Will Jacks, who had blitzed a 41-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans last year, for Salt, whom the coaching staff thought can produce big overs consistently upfront. He plays the high-risk game, and has taken apart the biggest names in opposition ranks like Mitchell Starc (Delhi Capitals) and Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad) to destroy their morale. However, Salt has also produced those little cameos that made a big difference in the eventual outcome of the match. The Royal Challengers needed a quick start while chasing an imposing 228 against Lucknow Super Giants, and a win was imperative for them to ensure a top-two finish.
The English opener made 30 off 19 balls, helping Kohli milk 61 runs in just 5.4 overs and RCB did not let that early momentum slip away. Karthik, the mentor who had a critical role in finalising the RCB auction pattern, explained the rationale behind selecting players like Salt.
“I thought we did beautifully in picking a very balanced squad, knowing what sort of players we want and which player would fit in which role. As we were picking the team, we used to put players in certain roles and see how they fit. “We were very sure this is the kind of batting order we wanted. And in the auction prep as well, we had a few eleven as combinations, and in that, we had certain players, certain names in mind,†said Karthik.
It reflected even while picking up replacement for an injured player. The RCB management did not hesitate to draft in Mayank Agarwal when the in-form but injured Devdutt Padikkal was ruled out of this IPL season.
The management considered Agarwal’s experience at this stage, and his ability to replicate the role Padikkal did this season for them, allowing the bigger hitters to do their job while keeping his end going.
The Karnataka batter also has a solid case for himself, racking up 179 runs from seven matches at a strike-rate of 153 at this season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. “The difference between this RCB squad and some of the ones that were picked previously are: the amount of experience through the 12 players, the strength and depth in batting,†said Karthik. Agarwal did not disappoint either. He made an unbeaten 41 off 23 balls at a strike-rate of 178, while giving strong support to Jitesh Sharma (85, 33b, SR: 257) against LSG.
Their unbroken 107-run stand for the fifth wicket gave RCB a remarkable six-wicket win.
Experience counts
These players have been part of several T20 competitions, and that experience meant that they needed minimal hand holding in a pressure situation. Karthik acknowledged that fact. “And many leaders - not just one or two big names - but lots of leaders through the players that we had picked from auction,†he said. However, a majority of these cricketers were first-time entrants to the RCB dressing room, and they had to be made to feel secure in a new environment. It was imperative because RCB handed the captain’s armband to Rajat Patidar, a fine player but someone who does not command a similar stature as some others in the dugout. By all accounts, the think-tank has done that coordination job to perfection and Patidar has now grown into an accepted and respected leader of the pack. “For Andy and I, creating a sort of environment where people feel safe, where they feel backed, where they feel like they’re accountable for their own decisions, and where they’re able to hopefully showcase their strengths - that’s the key bit,†said Bobat. Now, they stand just one win away from their maiden IPL title and the ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde’ (This time the Cup is ours) tagline sounds much more realistic than in any previous seasons.
