Dinesh Karthik reveals why RCB bought 2 wicketkeepers on Mega Auction Day 1

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik revealed the strategy behind signing two wicketkeepers, Phil Salt and Jitesh Sharma, at a fairly high cost. Dinesh Karthik also stated that Jitesh Sharma was part of the franchise's plans before the IPL 2025 mega auction.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru made strategic moves at the mega Auction. They signed three players at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah on Monday, November 24. However, RCB did not use their Right to Match (RTM) for Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell, and they also chose not to bid for KL Rahul.

Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma Among RCB Signings on Day 1 of IPL Auction

RCB won a bidding war against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for English wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt at Rs 11.50 crore. They then secured explosive Indian wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma after another intense bidding battle. RCB outbid Punjab Kings (PBKS) to sign Jitesh for Rs 11 crore at the auction.

The three-time finalists signed Liam Livingstone for Rs 8.75 crore and secured Josh Hazlewood after a bidding war for Rs 12.50 crore. They also acquired pacer Rasikh Dar (Rs 6 crore) and leg-spinner Suyash Sharma (Rs 2.6 crore) on Day 1. They have a remaining purse of Rs 30.65 crore heading into Day 2.

Dinesh Karthik Breaks Silence on Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma Acquisitions

During a discussion, Harsha Bhogle asked about RCB's strategy in signing Phil Salt and Jitesh Sharma. Dinesh Karthik said that having two wicketkeepers is a luxury and that they bring different strengths to the team, particularly with their batting skills.

"You picked two wicketkeepers at a fairly high cost, Salt and Jitesh, both. One of them will play as a specialist batter?" Bhogle asked.

Dinesh Karthik: Jitesh Sharma was part of our plans since Day 1. We wanted a middle order batter who can complement someone who can play spin pic.twitter.com/aCezrfUBTy

— r/RCB (@rcb_reddit) November 25, 2024

"Yes, for sure. It's getting to a stage where I think wicketkeepers are good. It's a luxury to have, but you just look at their pure skills with the bat. And we have Virat Kohli, we know what he can do. We have Rajat Patidar, a very good player of spin," DK replied.

"Phil Salt, again, obviously because he's a foreigner, we know his strength is probably slightly more against pace. And we wanted a middle-order batter who can complement, you know, the fact that someone can play spin. So we thought it out that he was right from day one in our plans," he elaborated.

To Land On Him Was Very Satisfying - Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik spoke about the challenge of securing Jitesh Sharma due to the RTM (Right to Match) option. He said that it was difficult to predict how Punjab Kings would use their budget. Karthik said that RCB strategically aimed for a figure that could potentially outbid PBKS.

"And to land on him was very satisfying. The tricky part was always the RTM (Right to Match). When you're bidding for a player like that, the main question is, who might use RTM? At the start of the auction, Punjab had the option, and with the budget they had, it was hard to predict what they'd spend on Jitesh. As the auction progressed, we strategically aimed for a number that we believed could challenge them," DK said.

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