Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday released big guns in former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, all-rounders Corey Anderson and Chris Woakes while welcoming another all-rounder Marcus Stoinis ahead of the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction next month.
The Virat Kohli-led franchise traded in Australian Stoinis for Rs 6.2 crore from the Kings XI Punjab while giving away batsman Mandeep Singh for Rs 1.4 crore. RCB also traded out South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock to the Mumbai Indians for Rs 2.8 crore.
Besides the skipper, the franchise retained 13 others, including former Protea captain AB de Villiers and New Zealand quick Tim Southee.
The other retained players in the RCB squad are: Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Commenting on the retained squad, RCB Chairman Sanjeev Churiwala said: "For the next IPL season, we have a 3-pronged player selection strategy. The first vector is to have a very strong combination of core team who can consistently deliver great performance on-field."
"Secondly, we want to invest in more Indian talent including more local all-rounders. Lastly we want to invest in the future and hence will actively scout for Under-19 talent who we can nurture and provide a strong platform like RCB to grow," he added.
Meanwhile, besides the trio of McCullum, Anderson and Woakes, young Indian batsman Sarfraz Khan was also released from the squad.
Retained list of RCB: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Tim Southee, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
