IPL 2024 Auction: RCB to sign this spinner to fill gap created by Yuzvendra Chahal and Hasaranga?

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IPL 2024: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) released quite a few players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction set to take place on December 19 in Dubai. A few players released by RCB surprised one and all.

Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Michael Bracewell, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Wayne Parnell were among the list of very handy cricketers released by the franchise. The omission of Hazlewood and Hasaranga surprised the most.

However, the franchise later explained the decision, and revealed that Hazlewood would be absent for the half of the season, while the planning around Hasaranga was to bring him back at a cheaper price.

The star Sri Lanka spinner was brought into the side after the departure of Yuzvendra Chahal. The release of the India star was in itself a shock move by RCB ahead of their IPL 2022 campaign.

While Chahal has gone all guns blazing at Rajasthan Royals (RR), picking 27 and 21 wickets in the 2022 and 2023 seasons respectively, Hasaranga could pick only nine wickets in eight matches last year.

IPL 2024 Auction: RCB set to sign Mujeeb Ur Rahman?

RCB head coach Grant Flower admitted that Wanindu Hasaranga was released to increase the franchise's purse at the IPL 2024 auction. Hasaranga was costing RCB a whopping Rs 10.75 crore. Moreover, the fitness of Hasaranga is also an issue. He hasn't played any form of cricket since August.

RCB could plan to get the leg-spinner back at a cheaper price, but might not bid for him at all to get Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The 22-year-old is currently the eighth ranked T20I bowler in the world. The former world number one bowler can take the pitch conditions out of the equation.

He has a brilliant ability to bowl with the new ball and in any phase of the game. He was brilliant for Afghanistan in the World Cup 2023, picking eight wickets in nine matches at a strike rate of 5.59 despite bowling in the powerplay.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman surprisingly went unsold in the IPL 2023. He has kept himself under the highest base price category of Rs 2 crore, and that tells a lot about the confidence he has got in his abilities.

M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is a high-scoring venue and a very disciplined bowler like Mujeeb who can handle those tough conditions, would be a boon for RCB.

Mujeeb has featured in a total of 227 T20 matches and picked 244 wickets at an average of 23.60 and an economy rate of 6.70. There is a strong gut feeling that RCB would be coming with full force to grab the services of Mujeeb Ur Rahman.