IPL 2023 Retention: "He was keen on being part of a playing XI" - Sanjay Bangar explains the thought process behind Jason Behrendorff's trade to MI 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Sanjay Bangar stated that Jason Behrendoff switched to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in his pursuit of consistent opportunities in the playing XI. The Australian left-arm seamer was roped in by the three-time finalists for his base price of ₹75 lakhs.

With Josh Hazlewood being RCB's primary overseas pacer and David Willey being a left-arm option, Behrendorff failed to secure regular game time. Both franchises agreed to a trade move ahead of the mini-auction, which saw the pacer join the five-time winners for a second stint.

MI were on the lookout for a left-arm pacer after releasing both Tymal Mills and Jaydev Unadkat from their squad.

Explaining how Behrendorff's trade move to MI panned out, Sanjay Bangar said in a video released on RCB's social media handles:

"Jason Behrendroff was traded to MI primarily because Josh Hazlewood will be available for the bulk of the season."

Bangar continued:

"Jason was keen on being part of a playing XI and that is where the opportunities at RCB were always going to be limited. So, that was the thought process behind that release."

RCB, who finished third in the 2022 edition, retained most of their squad. They released six players in the form of Jason Behrendorff, Aneeshwar Gautam, Chama Milind, Luvnith Sisodia, and Sherfane Rutherford. They have ₹8.75 crore left in their purse with two overseas slots to fill.

"It would have been hard for us to force him in the playing XI" - Sanjay Bangar on Sherfane Rutherford's release

West Indies cricketer Sherfane Rutherford was the second overseas player released by the RCB ahead of the IPL 2023 mega-auction. He was part of the playing XI in the first set of matches in the previous edition due to Glenn Maxwell's absence.

A gritty knock against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and a poor outing against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) was all he could muster as he failed to break into the playing XI.

Commenting on Rutherford's release from the franchise, Bangar said:

"As far as Sherfane Rutherford was concerned, he got his opportunities, we were tracking his progress and obviously, the Maxwell injury and the kind of cover that we ideally want for him, it would have been hard for us to force Sherfane in the playing XI."

RCB also parted ways with three domestic players among their ranks. The head coach had a message for the trio and asserted that the franchise will continue to keep tabs on them. He said:

"We had to, unfortunately, release a couple of our players, Milind, Aneeshwar and Sisodia, the domestic players."

Bangar continued:

"I am pretty sure that the exposure that they got last season with the team, traveling and training with the players, their interaction with overseas players, would have certainly helped them a bit. Our best wishes to them and we will be keeping an eye on them."

The Faf du Plessis-led side will be eager to end their silverware drought in the next edition of the competition. The side will return to the Chinnaswamy Stadium as well after a long interval, with a bolstered side in the aftermath of the mini-auction.

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