IPL 2022 Auction: 3 captaincy options for RCB

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are one of the teams that will have a new captain walking out on March 26. They have options in their 22-member squad, including their former captain Virat Kohli who could don the cap and lead the side once again.

One advantage for Bangalore this season is that they have a squad that’s balanced and looks formidable. They have some big names tipped as captaincy contenders.

Ahead of the start of IPL 2022, here’s a look at three such players who could lead RCB at the tournament:

#1 Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis led South Africa in 36 Tests, 39 ODIs and 40 T20Is, winning 18, 28 and 25 of these games respectively. That’s a 62.5% career win% as captain. He’s also 11th on the all-time list of captains who have won the most games in the T20I format.

Moreover, the former Proteas captain has racked up a lot of runs in the IPL. He scored 633 runs in 16 games in Chennai Super Kings’ title run last season.

Overall, Du Plessis has notched up 2935 runs from 100 innings at a strike rate of 131.09 in the competition. These numbers show that he leads by example, so it won’t be a surprise if he leads RCB.

#2 Dinesh Karthik

Karthik is gearing up for a second stint with RCB. He was picked up for a staggering Rs 10.5 crore in 2015, but didn’t do much with the bat. This time, he was picked up for half that price (Rs 5.5 crore) at the IPL 2022 mega auction.

However, the Challengers would feel they picked him up for a steal if he’s made their captain. The Tamil Nadu gloveman has led teams in the IPL. He fits the bill if the team is looking for an Indian player to lead the franchise.

Moreover, Karthik is available for the entire season. Having been part of the RCB set-up before, he shares chemistry with Kohli. These factors could see him become the team’s next captain.

#3 Glenn Maxwell

It’s highly unlikely Bangalore might give their trump card captaincy responsibility, as would only add more burden on his shoulders. Glenn Maxwell is no stranger to captaincy, having led the Punjab Kings in the 2017 IPL season as well as the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.

He has only spent a year at Bangalore, but had a stellar season with the bat. Maxwell scored 513 runs in 15 games at an average of 42.75 and a strike rate of 144.10.

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These are the numbers that would be expected from him again. However, there’s always the fear that the added responsibility of captaincy could take a toll on his batting. Considering the same, it remains to be seen if the Australian is made the next RCB captain.