Top 5 flop signings by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in history of IPL auction: The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off in March or April, but before the on-field battle, all 10 franchises will be involved in a bidding war in December for IPL Mega Auction.
Despite participating in the cash-rich league since its inception in the year 2008, the Bangalore-based franchise has never been able to win the trophy. Over the years, we have seen them bring in world-class batsmen into their line-up, but they have failed to do the same with the bowlers, which has always been a concern for them. Their auction strategies have also gone wrong sometimes as some of the players who were bought with high prices and expectations failed to perform well enough.
In this article, we will take a look at RCB’s top 5 flop signings in IPL auction history
5. Aaron Finch
RCB bought the former Australian captain for a whopping amount. He was splashed with Rs 4.40 crore during the IPL 2020 auction. Aaron Finch failed to replicate his international heroics in the cash-rich league and was a disappointing contract for the franchise. The opening batsman scored just 268 runs in 12 innings at an average of 22.33 and a strike rate of under 115. He was released after IPL 2020.
4. Shane Watson
In the IPL 2016 auction, RCB came in with the intention of signing Australian star all-rounder Shane Watson and they did so by spending Rs 9.5 crore. Watson played two seasons for RCB but did not have a memorable spell under Virat Kohli. In fact, the veteran was one of the most hated players in 2016 when RCB lost the final. He could score just 11 runs and conceded 61 runs in four overs. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Ben Cutting conceded 24 runs in Watson’s final over which made a huge difference.
3. Tymal Mills
Ahead of the 2017 season, RCB surprised everyone by spending a whopping Rs 12 crore to acquire the services of pacer Mills. In five matches, the pacer picked up only five wickets at an average of 30.60 and an economy rate of 8.57. The franchise lost faith in the left-arm pacer and decided to drop him ahead of the next season. Mills then became an out-of-favour bowler and it took him five years to make a comeback in the league when Mumbai Indians (MI) bought him in 2022.
2. Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was bought by RCB in the IPL 2014 auction for a whopping price of Rs 14 crore. The veteran all-rounder came with a lot of hype but failed to make the impact that RCB expected. He managed to score 376 runs and take 5 wickets in 14 matches. His lack of consistency prompted the franchise to release the legendary cricketer after just one season.
1. Kyle Jamieson
RCB bought New Zealand bowling all-rounder Kyle Jamieson for Rs 15 crore in the IPL 2021 auction. However, one of the most expensive buys that season, failed to deliver returns. Despite a good start, Jamieson managed to feature in only 9 matches, taking just 9 wickets at an economy rate close to 10. The Kiwi pacer was snapped up by the franchise ahead of the 2022 season, but he himself opted out of the league.
