The retirement of AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore has left the franchise short-staffed in several departments. Former Indian international Aakash Chopra feels that West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder can emerge as a valuable player for the franchise during the IPL 2022 mega auction.
The IPL 2022 mega auction on February 12 and 13 will be an extremely important affair. All the 10 teams in the newly-expanded league will be aiming to build a strong core group of players along with the ones retained to compete during the upcoming Indian Premier League cycle. Virat Kohli had announced his decision to step down as captain of the franchise ahead of the second leg of IPL 2021 in UAE.
Although RCB are yet to announce their new leader, cricketer-turned-commentator Chopra has suggested the name Jason Holder, who could prove to be a methodical captain.
“Let me just throw in Jason Holder. Bengaluru has small boundaries, he is an all-rounder, a medium pacer. He is an unassuming character. He doesn’t impose himself, he stays in the background, quietly does his job. I think for a franchise like RCB, he can be the right pick,”
said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Holder will be one of the first names on the team list and should start every game for the Royal Challengers. Besides, the Barbados player has the experience of leading West Indies across all formats of international cricket.
“He is an all-rounder. He will play all the matches. He has captained West Indies well. He will not take centre stage. When there is Virat Kohli in the team, there should be a captain who should not be looking for the limelight.
He should be happy basking in somebody else’s glory also because Kohli is that towering figure,”
Chopra further added.
Holder was earlier released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, who appointed Kane Williamson as the captain of the team last season. Besides Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings are also yet to settle on a captain.
Former RCB batter KL Rahul had been linked with the position following his release from Punjab Kings. However, he has been appointed as the captain of the newly-formed Lucknow Super Giants.
Star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who had a spectacular campaign last season is also another plausible option for RCB.
