'Happy with players we have selected in IPL auction': RCB skipper Virat Kohli

Bengaluru: After securing eight new players for next year's Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli on Friday said that he is quite happy with the players the side has selected for the next year's tournament.

"I am very happy with the players that we have selected and really looking forward to the new season. We've had a lot of discussions on the structure and balance of the team and this looks like a good start for us," Kohli said in a statement.

"I believe it all comes down to every individual to give out their best performance during the league and to enjoy the best form of cricket by playing bold," he added.

RCB acquired Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn, Isuru Udana, Chris Morris, Kane Richardson, Shahbaz Ahmed, Joshua Philippe and Pavan Deshpande for the next year's tournament.

The side's director of cricket Mike Hesson revealed that the side conducted a few mock auctions in order to be prepared well for the auction, which took place on Thursday.

"Our plan going into the auction was to look at players that will combine and well with the retained squad. We want a squad that can balance and can adapt to any conditions both at home and away," Hesson said.

"The majority of work goes on prior to auction around strategy, this includes a number of mock auctions and gives us a much better chance to maximise the budget we have at our disposal," he added.

Indian Premier League (IPL) players' auction was conducted on Thursday, and a total of 62 players were bought by eight teams combined.

Pat Cummins (INR 15.5 crore) became the most expensive foreign player while Piyush Chawla (INR 6.75 crore) bagged the biggest amount for an Indian player.