Anjum Chopra says, “RCB’s focus will be to bolster their batting; they might look at Annabel Sutherland.”
Former Indian skipper Anjum Chopra expects Royal Challengers Bangalore to bolster their batting unit in the upcoming WPL auction. In the last edition of the tournament, the franchise invested heavily in their batting and signed the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, and Heather Knight, among many other star cricketers. Chopra believes the strategy might be the same for the upcoming edition, as they often prefer a batting-heavy line-up.
The 46-year-old mentioned that the franchise can even look out for someone like Annabel Sutherland. The 22-year-old was in good form for the Melbourne Stars in the recently concluded Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), but despite that, the Gujarat Titans didn’t retain her for the WPL 2024. Chopra mentioned that Sutherland's all-round abilities might make her a good prospect for RCB.
Chopra said, “Their focus will be, 'Let's pack our batting, if we can do that, so at least we have one aspect of the game covered. If there is a 70 or 80 percent chance to have a good bowling side, fine, let's go ahead with it. But let's keep one side heavy, where we are very confident we can take the opposition head-on'.
“Probably they might look at an Annabel Sutherland coming in because, for sure, they will be getting Heather Knight and Ellyse Perry to play. So another all-rounder is an option. Annabel Sutherland will always be a good addition to this lineup.”