A team that looks absolutely hero on the paper but turns out to be zero in the field. Yes, I’m speaking of the last few years performance of RCB. They had star cricketers like Shane Watson, Quinton De Kock, Kl Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Gayle but couldn’t capitalize on their skills. They have made it to the finals only twice and are yet to win their first title. This year once again they have a set of classy players including Moeen Ali, Dale Steyn, Chris Morris, Aaron Finch who has delivered with their bests in the international format. But can RCB manage all these cricketers alongside the likes of V.K and A.B this year? There’s a new head coach, there’s a new management group charged by Mike Hesson, let’s have a look if they have anything bold to speak in their diaries.
Strengths –
Variation in the bowling unit- If you look at the bowling unit of RCB, they have got plenty of variations to go with. They have decent fast bowlers in the form of Dale Steyn ( who is one of the best with the new ball), Navdeep Saini, and Umesh Yadav. Chris Morris and Navdeep are good in slog overs. They have got the likes of Isuru Udana who is extravagant with his cutters and slowers. Moeen Ali brings in quality off-spin. They also have legspinners in the form of Yuzi Chahal and Adam Zampa. Speaking about orthodox spinners there is presence of Washington Sundar who is terrific in the powerplays. Moreover, they also have left arm off-spinners in the form of Shabaz Ahmed and Pawan Negi. So overall this gives plenty of choice to the RCB management to go with situations.
Top-order batting – If you look at the top-order batting, RCB has always been strong in that one arena. With the likes of Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch, and Ab de Villiers, their batting looks explosive. If anyone of these three gets set, it will always be a challenge for the bowler to Nick them off!
Weakness – If you look at the weakness of the RCB, it seems that there’s still a loophole present at their lower batting order. There is no good no. 6th and 7th batsman. Contenders like Gurkeerat Man Singh, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Moeen Ali, Shabaz Ahmed need to work more on finishing the game however the situation might be. This is one such place where RCB management has to think very wisely.
Virat Kohli – World’s best batsman for reason. The unstoppable run machine of India will be looking to find form in batting after his massive collapse in batting following the pink ball test. He has been a part of social media criticisms and trolls due to a few past performances in IPL. This year he should be looking to level the score against all of it.
AB De Villiers – Mr 360. It’s been 2 years he has retired from international cricket but his batting graph has never fallen below his avg. An absolute legendary player. Gives a lot of stability and reliance in their mid-order. We might see him keeping the wickets this year.
Aaron Finch- A very good masterstroke player. He times the ball very well and has the capability to play long innings. If the Australian skipper turns out to be in sheer form, he would be simply unstoppable.
Parthiv Patel- The veteran wicketkeeper from the initial 2000s has been a vital cog of the team for the last few years. He brings a wide range of experience at the top order and is also very impactful in the powerplays.
Moeen Ali – This guy would be one of the charming cricketers to watch out this IPL. He can bat with a good strike rate as well as pick crucial wickets at regular intervals. He has the ability to become a nominee for the MVP.
Shivam Dube – The last year when he played for RCB, he was a bit inexperienced but this year he has come up with the experience of playing for his nation. This would be a key thing in his journey year.
Gurkeerat Man Singh – in the last match of RCB, the previous season, he proved out to be very effective playing a great innings alongside Shimron Hetmyer on a winning cause. He is a potential player but lacks opportunities.
Shabaz Ahmed – A richly talented all-rounder who has been a part of Bengal cricket for the last 2 years. He has the knack of picking up wickets as well as can score in the lower order. He might not feature in the initial matches but if he gets a chance to play anytime he would turn out to be very effective.
Josh Phillipe – This Aussie wicketkeeper-batsman has a wide range of shots governing the T-20 format. A very good timer of the ball and plays aggressive cricket. He could be used as a backup opener for Aaron Finch.
Chris Morris – RCB bought Morris for 10 Crores this year. He has done decently well in the BBL. He was prominent in the slog overs. He hit the deck hard and that’s all RCB would wanna see again from him.
Debdutt Paddikal- An absolute freak player to watch out. There have been speculations regarding his presence in the playing 11. But if he gets a chance to feature in the RCB playing 11, he should be worth watching.
Washington Sundar – very handy in the powerplays. As the tournament progresses the conditions will favor him a lot. He can also bat down the order so that gives an extra benefit to the team.
Pawan Negi – Either Pawan or Sundar could be used in the playing 11. Both of them give similar stability to the team.
Isuru Udana – He is a very underrated cog in this RCB lineup. He could be really beneficial in the latter half of the game. He can mix the cutters and shall be very handy with the bat too down the order.
Dale Steyn – RCB released Steyn gun ahead of the IPL but again bought him in the auction. Steyn has a different story to tell playing for RCB. He started his IPL career with RCB and it would be an honor for him to do the great deeds with the ball as usual.
Navdeep Saini – watch out this guy in this IPL. He is a terrific bowler who has improved day by day. He has got the pace, he has got the bouncers. He also can mix his deliveries. He should be someone who would be bowling in the slogs for RCB.
Mohammad Siraj – he was partly good in the 2016 IPL playing for Srh. But after that, his graph has gone below par. This could be the perfect year for him to make a comeback.
Umesh Yadav – The speedster has lacked consistency in bowling. On his day he is unbelievably good but sometimes he is pretty inconsistent with his line.
Adam Zampa – came in as a replacement for his Oz mate Kane Richardson. He is in terrific form and would be very unfair to miss him out in the playing 11.
Yuzvendra Chahal – He is a very witty leg spinner who very well judges the mind of the batsman. His street smartness will be a deciding factor for an RCB win in many games.
Probable Playing XI
Openers: Finch and Devdut
Middle Order: Kohli(c), AB DeVilliers(wk), Moeen Ali/Chris Morris, and Shivam Dube
Fast Bowlers: Steyn, Saini, and Umesh Yadav
Spinners: Washington Sunder and Chahal