'He has been the best find'- AB de Villiers credits overseas star player for turning Bangalore's fortune in Indian T20 League

Royal Challengers Bangalore: (Image Source: Twitter)

The 2023 Indian T20 League mini-auction took place on 23rd December in Kochi. Going into the auction, the franchise had the second lowest purse of INR 8.75 crores as they had retained most of the players in the squad. The franchise believed in the abilities of their players and decided not to let go of them- something which was heartening to see as a Bangalore fan.

At the auctions, they focused on acquiring back-up options for Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood in Will Jacks and Reece Topley respectively. Besides, they purchased some of the Indian talents, namely, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav etc.

Former Bangalore veteran star AB de Villiers analyzed Bangalore’s squad for the upcoming edition. He lauded Bangalore for having a fine season last season and for strengthening the bench as well. He is hoping that the top-order fires with the bat this time around as well.

"Yeah I like the look of this team that had a good season last year, they came close. There's good balance, good backup, I just need a couple of guys in form. It's the same old story i think when it comes to that, we need couple of guys in the top order to fire. There's a lot of class in that line-up. " de Villiers said on Jio Cinema.

De Villiers named Josh Hazlewood as the best find for the franchise. He credited him for changing team’s fortune in the tournament. The South African cricketer expect the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar to show great form and help the team go all the way through.

“I feel the bowling attack, Josh Hazlewood has been the best find. I think he is a quality class player, very experienced. That's exactly what we needed in the last few years. It's just a matter of getting Maxi in form and then somebody like a Rajat Patidar to make sure, he continues with that kind of form and a few guys chipping around him. Virat we know, batted well in the World Cup and if he is in form, we are gonna go a long way. So looking forward to see these boys perform. They've got a lot of confidence from last year and now it's just a matter of building on that and taking it all the way.” he added.

De Villiers also gave 9 out of 10 rating points to the squad that Bangalore have managed to compile.

"It's(RCB) not my number one. It's nine out of ten but they'll come close, said De Villiers.