AB de Villiers sent the cricket fraternity into a state of shock on Friday as he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The tributes poured in for the great batsman as he will no longer be seen holding a bat or donning the wicket keeping gloves at the highest level anymore.
The announcement was sudden but the fans were prepared for it. The end was meant to come one day. His retirement means he will end his IPL (Indian Premier League) career with no trophy to his name. Had AB not retired, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) would have certainly retained him.
But today’s announcement has left the RCB team management to think about their retention for the upcoming season of the IPL. There is a lot to ponder but the deadline is just around the corner. In this article, we will mention those 4 players that are likely to be retained by RCB.
1. Virat Kohli
There are no surprises here as Virat Kohli is a sure shot retention. The former skipper of RCB did not lead the franchise to an IPL title but will certainly add to their strengths. He is
leading the charts of the highest run-getters since the inception of the league with a total of 6283 runs in his tally.
Virat may have announced his retirement as the captain of RCB but with his experience, the ‘Play Bold’ army can reach new heights.
2. Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the few members of the RCB who has delivered consistently. 139 wickets in 114 matches at an economy rate of 7.59 is a tremendous feat in the tournament where your skills and temperament are tested in every match. RCB would not leave Chahal out as the leggie has proved to be their biggest match-winner in the bowling department.
3. Devdutt Padikkal
Apart from Kohli and Villiers, RCB had no batsman they could rely upon. Then, a 20-year-old boy came and solved the problems to an extent. Yes, we are talking about Devdutt Padikkal. The opener is not a powerful striker but brings confidence with himself that the management could trust upon.
He scored 473 runs in IPL 2020 followed by 411 runs last season. RCB would be left to choose between him and Mohammed Siraj but most probably, Padikkal is the one likely to be retained.
4. Glenn Maxwell
In the 2021 season of the IPL, Glenn Maxwell came out as the force he was once known as. After a successful 2014 edition, Maxwell did not taste success much if we talk about IPL.
However, he rose to his very best after he donned the bright red-coloured jersey last year.
RCB bought Maxwell for Rs. 14.25 crore and he did not disappoint the franchise. He emerged as the leading run-scorer for his team with 513 runs in 15 matches to his name. The ‘Big Show’ finally stands tall and is certain to be in RCB’s retention list for the coming IPL season.