AB de Villiers heaps praises on RCB’s fast bowling duo of Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph

Not long ago from now, RCB finished their IPL auction with six significant buys that saw them strengthening their pace department with the likes of Tom Curran, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson and Yash Dayal. With questions rising about the strategy surrounding Royal Challengers Bangalore’s auction picks, RCB Hall of Famer, AB de Villiers opened up on the entire process.

The former RCB batter, opined on the fact that the Royal Challengers Bangalore had an excellent auction to be honest, however, the erstwhile Proteas skipper also pointed out a bit of concern when it comes to the spin department of the team. ABD concluded on a note of appreciation for the Kiwi Express who has been plying his trade in the IPL for a while now and has proven to be instrumental in clutch situations.

Talking on the 360 Show, ABD said, “One or two incredible spinners; X-factor spinners. I think of guys like Kuldeep Yadav. We need an X-factor spinner like Rashid Khan perhaps.”

However, talking about RCB’s pace unit, ABD was all praise, stating, “But, I think they added to the seam bowling, which has been the area that has let us down at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the past. I do think Alzarri Joseph justifies that decision."

He continued, “(Joseph) Very good buy for ₹11.5 crore; I think it was a fair price. Yash Dayal is also very good for ₹5 crore. Lockie Ferguson was a very good late pick up.”

Adding further, “I thought RCB was having a fairly average auction up until Ferguson and Tom Curran buys, where they got a lot of experience for not a lot of money. Lockie Ferguson has also got a bit of X-Factor. Slower ball where he rolls his wrists to curve the ball into the stumps. We all know Ferguson can bowl 150 kph. That’s exactly what you need at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.”

Shedding some light about Alzarri Joseph, ABD said, “I was very impressed with this guy’s presence, his raw pace, his courage to stick to what he knows best, i.e the hard length. Even though when he was bowling to me, I was 50 not out, he was still willing to bowl a short ball to me, particularly in the last two or three overs of the innings, one of which he hit me on the helmet.”

Concluding on RCB’s pace unit, ABD said, “Joseph loves bowling. Joseph loves big moments and bowling in pressure moments. He is a very good buy for INR 11.5 crore and I think this is a fair price.”