IPL 2019: 5 Players RCB should release ahead of the next season

Another season went by and the same old disappointing story for RCB continued. Their everlasting quest for an IPL title continues. Virat Kohli and his men endured yet another horrendous campaign finishing and they remained in the lower half of the points table. The funny thing is, on the paper, they have got one of the strongest squads but when they take the field, they’re not even 10 percent of what they should be and what they can be. Post the 2016 season, things haven’t looked too bright for the Bangalore based franchise, finishing last, 6th and last (possibly) in 2017, 2018 and 2019 editions of the IPL respectively. It is clear that a complete reconstruction of the squad is required or at least that of the middle-order and the bowling department. RCB need to rethink their auction strategy and having said so, they need to let go of a few players. Here we bring you five players RCB should release before the next season: 5. Tim Southee Tim Southee. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Tim Southee was bought by RCB last season in a bid to beef up their death bowling resources. So far, in the 11 matches that the Kiwi speedster has featured for the RCB, he has been taken to the cleaners at an economy of 11. This suggests that Tim Southee has done everything but deliver for the Bangalore based outfit. Tim featured in only 3 matches in this season and went for runs at an economy of 13.11 and so much so that, he gave away 28 runs in an over to Andre Russell, totally tilting the match in KKR’s favour; a match that was RCB’s for the taking. With some disappointing stats backing up his stint with RCB, the Virat Kohli-led franchise has no option but to explore other options and let the 30-year-old go. One can expect Tim Southee to get the axe before the start of the next season. 4. Heinrich Klassen Heinrich Klaasen. (Photo: IANS) Heinrich Klassen broke into the scene when he tonked the Indian spinners out of the ground in 2018 when India toured South Africa. Klassen is a hard-hitting wicket-keeper batsman whose main strength lies in controlling the middle-overs. While one can argue about the lack of chances that Klassen got from RCB, he couldn’t make most of the limited outings. In 7 games that Klassen has featured for RCB in the 2018 and 2019 editions, he could manage only 66 runs at a below-par strike rate of 115. Considering the fact that in most of the matches which he played, RCB potentially wasted an overseas all-rounder’s spot, Klaasen could not step up and deliver when his side needed him to. Heinrich Klassen can expect his name going to the auction pool before the start of 2020 IPL season. 3. Akshdeep Nath Akshdeep Nath. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) There was a lot of hype surrounding Akshdeep Nath when he entered the auctions and accordingly, he was bought for a massive amount of Rs 3.4 crores by RCB. A superlative domestic season saw him being picked up by RCB. A hard-hitter and a handy part-time bowler, Nath hasn’t reached his potential in the IPL despite having several stints with Gujarat Lions (2016 & 2017) and KXIP (2018). Akshdeep Nath couldn’t live up to the expectations surrounding his abilities and consequently, he could manage only 61 runs from 8 matches in the recently concluded season. While he didn’t bowl much, RCB’s middle-order looked fragile with an under-performing Akshdeep Nath. Even though it’s quite early to lose faith in a youngster who’s only 14 matches old in the IPL, one can expect RCB to let go of him only to buy him back at a lesser price in the 2020 IPL auctions. 2. Colin de Grandhomme Colin de Grandhomme. (Photo: IANS) Last season, Colin showed signs of what he is capable with the bat but he hasn’t turned up since then. Grandhomme is a capable all-rounder with loads of International experience on his side and despite playing on a belter of a wicket at the Chinnaswamy, he has not made full use of his potential. While the Kiwi has featured in only 12 games for RCB, he has been largely expensive with the ball, going at an economy of 9.65. With the bat, the 33-year-old has only managed to muster 174 runs at a disappointing average of 20.26. The Kiwi all-rounder has clearly been disappointed for the franchise and for the fans and one can expect him to face the axe unless of course, RCB decides to persist with him. 1. Mohammad Siraj Mohammed Siraj. (Photo by IANS) In 2016, Siraj was nothing but sensational for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and it was his death bowling in particular, that stood out among the rest. Consequently, he was snapped up by RCB in the 2017 IPL auctions and apart from a 4-fer against the Sunrisers Hyderabad last season, Siraj has not been able to replicate his form with which he grabbed everyone’s eyeballs, playing for SRH. Siraj has been inconsistent for RCB which has hurt them big time, more so in those crunch situations. While Siraj has been good enough for India, the same cannot be said for his stint with RCB. It was his no-ball in a crunch moment against Andre Russell this season that made him go after the bowlers in the first place, after a slow start. Needless to say, RCB lost a match that they should have won. Siraj had a disappointing season and RCB will look to hand him the axe in order to give their death-bowling a whole new look. Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the Indian Premier League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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IPL 2019: 5 Players RCB should release ahead of the next season

These players haven't performed to the expectations despite getting enough chances.

2. Colin de Grandhomme

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