JOIN USMike Hesson, Director of Cricket Operations, Royal Challengers Bangalore, said the franchise is open to the newly-introduced mid-season loan transfer if the need arises during the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League.
The IPL has said it will allow loan transfer of capped players (both Indian and foreign) during the course of the season, a first of its kind in the tournament. In the previous edition, according to the rules, only mid-season loan transfer of uncapped players was possible.
“It’s certainly something that could come to fruition this season,” said Hesson during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
“It will come in at some stage due to the fact that it's hard to get potential replacements. We are very comfortable with the squad we have, but if we get injuries or so forth, then loan opportunities could become an option. You however need both teams to buy into any potential loan, so you need to make sure the other side is happy with the loan and think they'll get benefit from it later on in the tournament as well,” he explained.
RCB’s squad strength of 21 is the least compared to all other franchises. Hesson said it was a conscious decision to go for a small squad and it’s not a disadvantage.
“Simon (Katich) talked about the youthful exuberance of our squad when we had the auction. We have a nice balance in the group. We made sure our overseas players are experienced ones and have played in all conditions and therefore are able to add a huge amount of value. And amongst that, we can add the likes of Dube (Shivam), Sundar (Washington), and Padikkal (Devdutt). Certainly, there's no worry, we've selected a relatively short squad as we wanted to make sure we spend enough time on all the 21 and make sure they are ready to go,” he offered.