Irfan Pathan lauded the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for trading in talented Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and suggested the name of Mujeeb Ur Rahman as a player they could pick in the auction to replace Wanindu Hasaranga, who they released last month.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the 2024 season is scheduled to be held in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19. The teams are making their last-minute preparations for the all-important day. Ahead of the auction, some of the teams were busy in the trading window and RCB were certainly one of them. They roped Green into their line-up from the Mumbai Indians for INR 17.5 crore. The seam-bowling all-rounder played 16 games for Mumbai last season, scoring 452 runs at an average of 50.22 and a strike rate of 160.28. He also chipped in with six wickets.
Former India all-rounder Irfan reckoned that Green would sort a huge headache for the Faf du Plessis-led franchise. The popular commentator also felt that Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb could be a player who RCB could consider during the auction if they do not get Hasaranga for a cheaper price. By releasing the talismanic Sri Lankan spinner, RCB added a whopping INR 10.75 crore to their budget.
"If you look at their squad, with Cameron Green coming in, they have their biggest headache sorted. The middle muddle is sorted. They will have to sort out their bowling. If they can get Hasaranga back at a cheaper price, well and good. If not, they can go for guys like Mujeeb. Mujeeb is a guy who can actually take the pitch away from the equation. He is basically a mystery bowler who can bowl with the new ball and he can be pretty handy in those sorts of tough conditions for bowlers," Irfan said while previewing the auction on Star Sports.
In IPL 2023, Mujeeb went unsold. During the 2023 ODI World Cup, the youngster bowled reasonably well, bagging eight wickets in 10 games at an economy rate of 5.59. However, he put down a few straightforward chances and was sloppy on some occasions in the field.
I really think you might see Mitchell Starc playing for RCB: Irfan Pathan
Ace Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is set to return to the IPL after eight years. He is expected to be a hot pick in the auction. Irfan expects RCB to go for the experienced campaigner who had previously represented them in 2014 and 2015.
"I really think you might see Mitchell Starc playing for RCB because he was there before. They would want him there as well because being a left-armer, bowling 140-plus, having that extra pace in those types of pitches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will be of utmost importance for RCB," the 39-year-old stated.
The 2007 T20 World Cup winner felt that the emergence of Karnataka pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak last season gave RCB the confidence to release the experienced Harshal Patel and free up INR 10.75 crore from their purse.
"They have a very underrated bowler right now, which people might not be talking about, that's Vyshak Vijaykumar, who came as a replacement. I thought there were quite a few things to like about him. His slower one was very impressive and that is why I think RCB have taken the decision to leave out Harshal Patel," Irfan explained.
Vyshak played seven games last season and picked up nine wickets. He bowled a variety of slower deliveries and caught the attention of fans as well as experts.
from IPL Live Score | IPL News, IPL 2024 Updates, Squads & Results - CricTracker