#KnowYourTeam: Will RCB's dream to win maiden title turn into reality?

Being one of the most popular teams in the IPL with the likes of big names as in Chirs Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villers, Royal Challengers Bangalore have not achieved the feat to lift the trophy yet. So, the Men in Red will be having more pressure this time to deliver the performance in order to win the title. The team which looked strong in the initial seasons, especially between 2008-2011 where they even made the finals twice has witnessed a dark history after qualifying for the playoffs in 2015 and 2016.

 

 

 

Led by the Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, the top order which looked bland without Gayle will be powerful as Aaron Finch is roped in the RCB squad. Along with, Patel will open the innings. This can let skipper Kohli bat at his No. 3 slot, while AB de Villiers could follow him. There is also the young talent to look on - Devdutt Padikkal who looked great in the training sessions. Joshua Philippe can be another option. Following them, Dubey, Morris, Moeen Ali - the all-rounders can come to brace the middle order.

 

There are many resources for the skipper to select in the bowling department. Steyn, Umesh, and Navdeep will run the pace-attack. Along with them, is Mohammad Siraj who can another useful option. In the spin department, Chahal will be heading and Sundar, Negi, and Moeen can support him. In addition to them, comes the Australian spinner Adam Zampa who can deliver if given a chance.

 

 

The strongest point of RCB in all these years is their batting line-up. The top-order, if in form, can give nightmares to the bowlers. Kohli and AB have been the pillars of RCB's batting for years now and a lot depends on the duo if RCB is to win the IPL 2020. With the inclusion of Aaron Finch in the RCB squad, it has boosted Karnataka's outfit batting. Given a chance to the youngsters, Padikkal and Joshua Philippe can also be lethal at the top order. The bowling section also looks dangerous due to Saini, Chahal, and Steyn leading it.

 

RCB's pace bowling attack is already boasted due to the presence of South African legend Dale Steyn. He will be accompanied by Indian pacers Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini, as well as Morris. Meanwhile, the team has two quality wrist-spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa. In addition, Negi and Sundar could be the front-line spinners. Among the all-rounders, they have Ali and locals like Dubey while the uncapped Pavan Deshpande is another useful option.

 

The middle-order still lacks experience. There are no proper batsmen to hold the middle order consistently. The team has decide to which Indian to pick if Finch, AB, Moeen, and one overseas bowler will be included in the playing XI for the middle order. Meanwhile, Steyn is one of the concerns as his injury issues could be troublesome. Speaking about the bowling, the pace will be dealing with consistency issues as Siraj and Yadav have faced worrisome problems towards the ends of innings. As result, RCB's only hope at the death this season appears to be Navdeep Saini. They will have a troublesome situation in the death overs.

Another obstacle before them is choosing overseas players. Although de Villiers will be a certain starter, they might struggle to choose between Finch, Moeen, Steyn, Zampa, Morris, and Josh Philippe. On the other hand, Kohli has to think of certain compositions rather than bringing a number of changes in an attempt to find the ideal combination.

 

Virat Kohli-led RCB will be going against Sunrisers Hyderabad tomorrow. With RCB having plenty of resources this time, will RCB's dream to win maiden title turn into reality in this IPL?

 

Players bought by RCB: Aaron Finch (Rs. 4.40 crore), Chris Morris (Rs. 10 crore), Kane Richardson (Rs. 4 crore), Joshua Philippe (Rs. 20 lakh), Pavan Deshpande (Rs. 20 lakh), Dale Steyn (Rs. 2 crore), Shahbaz Ahmed (Rs. 20 lakh), Isuru Udana (Rs. 50 lakh). However, leg-spinner Adam Zampa will be replacing replaced fellow teammate Kane Richardson, who pulled out of the IPL for personal reasons.

 

Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Parthiv Patel (Wicket-keeper), AB de Villiers, Chris Morris, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shivam Dubey, Aaron Finch, Umesh Yadav, Adam Zampa, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Dale Steyn, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Isuru Udana, Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahamad, Joshua Philippe, Pavan Deshpande