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3 Players RCB should have picked instead of Alzarri Joseph

West Indies pace bowler Alzarri Joseph was one of the surprise packages of the recent IPL auction as he was bought by RCB for a whopping 11 crore. The 27-year-old, who has played 19 T20 International matches and picked up 32 wickets, was expected to go for a much lower price but RCB surprised everyone with their aggressive bid.

Joseph has been in good form in recent times and is a wicket-taking option. However, he has a reputation for being extremely expensive at times and that was evident during West Indies’ recent T20 series against England. As such, it was quite surprising that RCB went for him, that too at such a high price. The decision seems strange as RCB will play most of their games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru which is hell for bowlers.

RCB could certainly have looked towards other options, who have better skills as well as records compared to Joseph. Here’s a look at three bowlers the franchise could have picked instead of investing heavily in Joseph:

#1 Kartik Tyagi

Before the auction, RCB’s Indian pacers included Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Akash Deep. With Siraj yet to nail the T20 arena, this lineup was far from scary. In the auction, they added Yash Dayal, who isn’t too big a name either. Hence, it would have served the side better to get an Indian pacer instead of splurging 11 crores on Joseph. The fact that RCB has three more foreign pacers (Lockie Ferguson, Tom Curran and Reece Topley) would have made this an even better option. In such a scenario, Kartik Tyagi would have been a good option.

Tyagi has a reputation for being one of the quickest bowlers in India, He was impressive in the 2020 U-19 World Cup and then put up a few sensational performances for the Rajasthan Royals. It is difficult to believe that the Gujarat Titans procured his services for just 60 Lakhs. RCB could surely have shown more interest in him which would have solved a few of their issues.

#2 Gerald Coetzee

Gerald Coetzee, the young South African, would have been a good buy, one that the Royal Challengers should have seriously considered. All of 23, Coetzee boats a varied skill set comprising pace, swing and variations and that could make him one of the best in the business in the coming years. His age would have made him a long-term investment as well. He was impressive in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, picking up 20 wickets in just 8 games and that was a clear indication of his prowess and abilities in Indian conditions.

With the Chinnaswamy being a tough venue for bowlers, Coetzee could have brought some X-factor into the line-up. Coetzee also has batting abilities which would have added balance to the side. As such, the franchise missed a trick by not pursuing Coetzee who was eventually bought by the Mumbai Indians for just Rs. 5 crores.

#3 Shivam Mavi

RCB’s thin bowling line-up would have remained that way even if they had secured the services of Kartik Tyagi. The composition of their team meant that they required multiple options. Hence, Shivam Mavi is a player that they should have pondered upon.  The 25-year-old fast bowler has already tasted a little bit of success at the international level and has a good skill set which made the Kolkata Knight Riders invest in him heavily. However, injuries meant that he lost a few of his years.

However, with him being fit and having plenty of years ahead of him, RCB should have raised the paddle for Mavi as he, like Tyagi and Coetzee, could have been someone for the long term as well.