RCB’s IPL campaign(s) from season 1 way back in 2008 to the 12th edition earlier this year in 2019 can be summarized in one word - tragicomedy. In this decade alone, they’ve had more stars in their team than Real Madrid had in their peak Galáctico era, yet in terms of trophies, The ‘Royal Challengers’ have only managed to match Madrid’s ex-feeder club Tottenham Hotspur. On paper, season after season, they’ve looked as strong as Europe’s Laver Cup team, yet whenever the pressure has gotten to them, they’ve capitulated like Federer in the fifth set of a Grand Slam match against Djokovic. There’s a reason why they are the laughing stock of IPL: It’s a tragicomedy like I said. 

RCB might have released a total of 11 players and 6 foreigners, but they were sagacious enough to retain their core, meaning heading into the auction, they know exactly what they need. From the outset, it is crystal clear that they need reinforcements in three areas: the opening slot (preferably a hard-hitting overseas batter), the middle-order (an experienced Indian batsman) and the pace department where they, of course, need an overseas quick, after having released the trio of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Tim Southee and Dale Steyn. It remains to be seen which area they will prioritize, but with enough experience in the middle-order - they’ve de Villiers, Shivam Dube and Moeen Ali to go with Gurkeerat - it would be a no-brainer for them to put the overseas pacer first, followed by the explosive opener, on top of their wishlist. On a side note, wicket-keeping, where they had to alternate between Parthiv Patel and Akshdeep Nath, was also an area of concern for them last season and might be one that needs addressing. 

The Dream Signing(s) - Chris Lynn (or) Glenn Maxwell

RCB have been at the receiving end of many a ‘Lynn-ching’ in the past, that too at the Chinnaswamy, but boy wouldn’t they give everything they have to call the Queenslander ‘one of their own’ by the end of the auction. Chris Lynn’s disdain for the art of bowling coupled with his six-hitting ability makes him the perfect match for RCB, and come December 19, you bet that they would be itching to ‘super like’ him as soon as his card comes out. Whether some other team would right swipe on him before RCB do is the only thing that remains to be seen. On the contrary, could you imagine the scenes should they manage to land Maxwell? The prospect of a Kohli-de Villiers-Maxwell middle-order would hover over our heads, arguably three of the greatest T20 cricketers to have ever graced the game. Last season, both Kohli and de Villiers showed clear signs of being almost sick of single-handedly trying to rescue RCB’s sinking ship, so getting someone like a Maxwell - who once carried KXIP to a final of his own - will not only be a dream addition but also might finally help the VK-AB duo finally play with some ‘freedom’. 

Let’s get back to reality now, shall we? As much as RCB would love to get one of Lynn or Maxwell or even Roy, the fact of the matter is that they have under 28 crore left to spend with 12 slots left to fill, meaning they would need to be extremely measured with their approach. This brings us to Evin Lewis, who ticks all boxes whilst also fitting into their budget. Not only does he have prior IPL experience, but his exemplary record in India to go along with his monstrous six-hitting ability, which would be invaluable at the Chinnaswamy, makes him a perfect fit for the team. RCB have also been often labelled ‘headless’ due to their middle-order implosions, and this might just prompt them to go for someone who’s their very own - Robin Uthappa. The experience Uthappa would bring to the table would be second to none and the hometown boy’s serenity could just be the perfect foil for the plethora of big-hitters scattered all over the batting order. On the fast-bowling front, there is indeed a scarcity of world-class overseas pacers in the market, but someone who could slot right into this RCB attack is Sheldon Cottrell. It also happens to be that a left-arm pacer is the only thing that the RCB attack lacks at this point in time, so in a way, the stars are aligned for the Challengers to make a scoop for him; it would be pretty economical too. 

The Wildcards - Tom Banton (or) Anrich Nortje

SportsCafe Suggests - Alex Carey and Tom Curran

We’ve established that RCB need a 1) Big-hitting opener 2) Middle-order accumulator and 3) (optional) a wicket-keeper and well, it happens to be that there’s one cricketer who solves all these three problems in one shot. His name is Alex Carey. The whole world was witness to the evolved, alpha 2.0 version of Carey in the 2019 World Cup and dare I say he would complete this RCB team. He can either be the aggressor upfront, or the accumulator in the middle, or the finisher towards the end and pull off all three roles with equal adeptness. The fact that he is also a wicket-keeper is just the cherry on the top. Surrey’s Tom Curran, who’s also previously turned up for Kolkata Knight Riders, has developed quite the reputation over the course of the last 18 months as both a dexterous death-bowler and a proficient lower-order hitter. His exploits in the BBL last year - 20 wickets at 19.85 and 185 runs at an SR of 144.53 - were nothing short of sensational, a coming of age of sorts, and one wonders if it would’ve gotten IPL franchise owners talking. Nevertheless, post Starc, RCB, till date, have struggled to find a masterful death bowler and the elder Curran might just be the answer to their long-standing problem.