IPL 2018: 5 players who Royal Challengers Bangalore should axe

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had a shambolic campaign in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL). They lost a string of matches and never gained momentum in the first-half of the round-robin stage. In the first ten matches, they managed to win three matches and found themselves in a rabbit hole. Nevertheless, the racked three wins on the trot to keep their hopes alive. They faced the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the last league match and slumped to defeat by a comprehensive margin owing to which they were ousted from the T20 league. They had several grey areas as the tournaments progressed. Also, there were cricketers who weren’t up to scratch and are unlikely to be retained by the team in the upcoming season. We look at five such players. #1 Corey Anderson Corey Anderson and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter) Corey Anderson, the New Zealand all-rounder, went into the auction at a base price of INR 2 Crore, but he remained unsold. However, his fortunes turned when Nathan Courter Nile was ruled out of the tournament and he was drafted in by RCB. Nevertheless, he had a horrendous campaign and only played three matches in which he flattered to deceive. Albeit he picked up three wickets but conceded runs at an economy of 13.26. He also managed to score 17 runs at an average of 5.66 and a dismal strike-rate of 77.27. In one of the matches against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he was unable to defend 16 runs. Being a genuine all-rounder, the statistics are pretty dismal as far as the Black Cap is concerned. #2 Pawan Negi Pawan Negi of Royal Challengers Bangalore plays a shot. (Photo: IANS) Pawan Negi played only a couple of matches in the season against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on a Bangalore strip that provided very little assistance to the bowlers. The all-round cricketer couldn’t make any sort of an impact with the ball and was taken for 49 runs in the four overs he bowled. He also didn’t get many opportunities with the bat. He batted for a meagre five deliveries and scored three runs. He played earlier for the franchise and they used the Right To Match (RTM) card on him. Negi entered the auction at a base price of INR 50 Lakhs and could only fetch INR 1 Crore. The likes of Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Delhi Daredevils (DD) bid for him only to see the Challengers run away with him. #3 Brendon McCullum Brendon McCullum. (Photo Source: Twitter) Brendon McCullum retired from international cricket back in 2016 and since then has plied his trade in T20 tournaments across the world. He has listed for the IPL auction at a base price of INR 2 crore and eventually was roped in by RCB for a substantial amount of 3.60 Crore. The 36-year old had been in and out of the team and wasn’t able to cement his position in the team. He scored 43 runs versus Kolkata Knight Riders (RR) followed by a couple of failures owing to which he was dropped. He came back and played three encounters and couldn’t make the impact he is known for. He played six games and scored 143 runs at an average of 21.16. Moreover, he isn’t getting any younger, something which may go against him in the next season. #4 Kulwant Khejroliya Kulwant Khejroliya. (Photo Source: Twitter) Kulwant Khejroliya, the Delhi fast-bowler, entered the auction at a base price of INR 50 Lakhs and was bagged by RCB for INR 85 Lakhs. He played three matches in which he could only muster a couple of matches. He picked up a couple of wickets of Karun Nair and Axar Patel against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), but went wicket-less against the Royals and the Knight Riders. He also leaked run at an economy of 9.87, which didn’t help his cause of staying put in the eleven. Following his expensive spell of 0/40 in three overs, he was sidelined and never made a comeback thereafter. It will be a surprise if Virat Kohli’s men persist with him in the squad even in the next season. #5 Chris Woakes Chris Woakes & Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter) Chris Woakes was stupendous for KKR in the 2017 edition of the mega event. However, the English all-rounder was released by them and he entered the auction at a price of INR 2 crore. When his name was called in the auction, CSK and RCB went hammer and tongs for the cricketer. It was RCB who eventually forked out an astounding INR 7.60 Crore for Woakes. However, he failed to perform for his new franchise and was dropped after five matches. He picked eight wickets but conceded runs at a shocking economy of 10.36. His medium-pacers lacked bite and batsmen took full advantage of the same. Even with the willow, he couldn’t live up to expectations. He scored only 17 runs at an average of 5.66.

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IPL 2018: 5 players who Royal Challengers Bangalore should axe

RCB have already been shown the door of elimination.

#3 Brendon McCullum

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