IPL 2022: Predicting starting four overseas players of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Indian Premier League – IPL 2022 is all set to start from March 26 and the excitement has already doubled for the fans. RCB is one of the franchises yet to lift the title and they have got a pretty good squad this time around in order to have their hands on the elusive silverware.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made some crucial buys at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction with RCB’s Director Of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson stating that the franchise has covered all the bases in the mega auction and got together a competitive squad.

Some of their prominent buys include Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Dinesh Karthik. With enough options, it will be interesting to see how the franchise makes use of the overseas players and whether they will be giving them consistent opportunities.

In this article, we predict RCB’s starting four overseas players for IPL 2022:

1. Faf du Plessis

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis is likely to lead RCB in IPL 2022. In previous seasons, Faf played an exceptional role for his former franchise Chennai Super Kings, and his new franchise will want many more things as a skipper other than his batting contribution.

The 37-year-old batter has played an exact number of 100 IPL matches so far in which he has amassed 2,935 runs at an average of 34.94. The batter has a strike rate of 131.08 in the tournament. He was bagged by the RCB at a whopping price of INR 7 crore.

Considering his age, Du Plessis is also incredibly fit and can also field at some key positions during the death overs. Faf is also known for his immaculate captaincy and he would be aiming to have his hands on the trophy.

2. Glenn Maxwell

Australian all-rounder had a fabulous season with RCB in 2021. His performances were so brilliant that RCB decided to retain him for a whopping cost of INR 11 crore for the upcoming IPL season.

In the absence of star batter AB de Villiers, Maxwell’s role will be to score quick runs in the middle-overs and roll over his arm to bowl some off-spin as well as per the team requirement.

The 33-year-old batter has played 97 IPL matches in which he has scored a total of 2018 runs averaging 25.23 in the process. His strike rate also remains at a high of 151.84. He also had 22 wickets under his name in the tournament.

3. Wanindu Hasaranga

RCB spent a big amount of INR 10.75 crore to bag Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga in their squad.  Hasaranga has been one of the most consistent performers for his national side in the last few years.

The 24-year old is a multi-dimensional cricketer and RCB will look to have some consistent performances from the all=rounder in the upcoming season. The Lankan made his debut for RCB in IPL 2021.

However, the mystery spinner wasn’t able to weave any magic as he failed to pick even a single wicket in two matches he played for the franchise. The right-arm bowler will look to provide vital breakthroughs for his side and score some quick runs down the order if needed.

4. Josh Hazlewood

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood was a key performer for his former franchise Chennai Super Kings in providing early wickets. The 31-year-old bowler was purchased by RCB at INR 7.75 crore in the mega auction.

Hazlewood has played 12 IPL matches in which he has scalped 12 wickets with an economy of 7.93. Known for his persistent lines and lengths, Hazlewood will be a key performer for RCB in the upcoming IPL season.

Bowling during the field restrictions, Hazlewood can look to contain batters from scoring quick runs while his other teammates including Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj can keep an eye on taking wickets for their side.

Other overseas options: Finn Allen, Jason Behrendorff, David Willey and Shefane Rutherford.