Mike Hesson Reveals Why RCB Released Chris Morris, Aaron Finch Ahead Of The Auction

The Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Mike Hesson has revealed the strategy behind releasing Chris Morris ahead of the auction for the IPL 2021 to be held in February. The Royal Challengers Bangalore team qualified for the playoffs last season after having some good outings in the league stages. The IPL 2020 was held in UAE without any spectators on the ground and RCB was one of the standout teams in the IPL last year.

Having said that, the Royal Challengers Bangalore has never gone on to win an IPL trophy which is very surprising with the team they have. They have two of the most destructive batsman and match-winners in the current century in the form of captain Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers but haven’t managed to produce the performances they would have liked to.

RCB Released A Lot Of Players Including Chris Morris

The Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to let go of a lot of players into the auction and the most surprising move was the release of Chris Morris who was one of their best bowlers in the last IPL. Chris Morris managed to pick up 11 wickets in 9 games at an economy rate of just 6.63 which are very good figures in T20 cricket. He can use his long handle too and can be handy down the order with some lusty blows towards the end of the innings.

He indeed was a great acquisition but couldn’t get match fit for the crucial stages of the tournament which was a worrying sign for Royal Challengers Bangalore who has had plenty of problems with their bowling.

“As a 10 crore signing, Morris was a big part of our resource. But he had some injuries and missed quite a lot of cricket. Morris hasn’t played high-level cricket since then, so there is some risk there. As for Finch, it did not quite work out for him as we’d have liked. We have (Australian wicketkeeper-batsman) Josh Philippe as a p-order cover (for Finch),” said Mike Hesson.

Aaron Finch Released By RCB

Aaron Finch who is the white ball captain of the Australian cricket team was also released by the RCB team owing to his poor performances with the bat. Mike Hesson mentioned that Josh Philippe might be the best cover for Aaron Finch as a top-order batsman as well as the wicket-keeping option he provides. Aaron Finch hasn’t established himself in the IPL like in the white-ball format for Australia for a long time now and he has jumped to a lot of teams.

Bold Diaries: Mike Hesson explains RCB’s Retention Strategy

Our Director of Cricket Operations, @CoachHesson gives us an insight into the thinking behind the retention and release of players. #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/GbcY5oCyiW

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) January 20, 2021

Also Read: IPL 2021: Complete List Of Players Released And Retained By Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Also Read: IPL 2021 Auction: Complete List Of Players Released And Retained By All IPL Franchises And Their Remaining Purse Value