'Virat Kohli's Key Role in RCB Auction Strategy Revealed by Team Director'

RCB Team Director Mo Bobat has recently shared Virat Kohli's thoughts on the team's auction picks. Despite criticism from Robin Uthappa and Eoin Morgan, who were surprised by RCB's strategy of not pursuing players like KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant, Kohli is confident in the squad they have assembled. Kohli believes in the potential of the players they have acquired and is looking forward to seeing them perform on the field.

"He's someone I have spoken to regularly since the end of the [2024] season. [We are] really quite fortunate in some ways that Virat spends a good amount of time in the UK, so we have been able to meet face-to-face and have discussions with myself, him and Andy," Mo Bobat told ESPNcricinfo.

"We were all very aligned on the types of players and discipline we were looking for, building a strong Indian core, those unique skill sets for the Chinnaswamy. That fed quite easily into our retentions. Even on auction days [he was] interacting with us at the table, in particular interacting with DK," he added.

RCB has yet to win the IPL title even once. The team came close in 2016 when they reached the final; however, Virat Kohli and Co, had to endure a heartbreaking loss against SunRisers Hyderabad.

Time and again, the franchise has faced criticism for not assembling a good enough squad at the auction. In the past few years, RCB has managed to put together a solid top three in terms of batting; however, they have been found out in the bowling department.

Short boundaries at M Chinnaswamy Stadium and a lack of quality bowlers have led to RCB's inability to have a significant home advantage in Bengaluru.

"Winning the IPL is our target, but the way we play is our obsession. We want to get our competitive identity, and if we do that, it'll take care of itself. Now, the proof will be in the pudding. We'll find out when we get into the competition, but if you want a different outcome, you've got to have a different approach," said Mo Bobat.

"I love playing at the Chinnaswamy. For me, that just adds to the intrigue: can we do it with that constraint? It's exciting," he added.

Speaking about picking up Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the RCB Team Director said, "Given what I said about our reflections of last year, of us wanting to be able to take wickets, particularly early on to get ahead of the game, having bowlers that are highly skilled through all phases is really important, particularly with the new ball, and of course, at the death."

"And also having the experience and the resilience to deal with the pressure that comes with bowling at the Chinnaswamy. Both Bhuvi and Josh Hazlewood are very threatening upfront with the new ball. But they can bowl through [all] phases, and both have a track record of [bowling well] at the death," he added.