IPL 2020: What does Royal Challengers Bangalore's strongest XI look like?

IPL: While RCB has a strong top-order with Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli and A. B. de Villiers, its middle and lower order don’t inspire much confidence.

Published : Sep 17, 2020 08:44 IST

Royal Challengers Bangalore will once again be heavily reliant on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (not in picture) to fire with the bat.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will once again be heavily reliant on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (not in picture) to fire with the bat.
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Royal Challengers Bangalore will once again be heavily reliant on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (not in picture) to fire with the bat.

After a disappointing 2019 campaign, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will hope it can fire on all cylinders as it begins hunt for its first Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

While RCB has a strong top-order with Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli and A. B. de Villiers, its middle and lower order don’t inspire much confidence. The bulk of the scoring will have to come from the trio, while the inexperienced explosive opener Devdutt Padikkal could express himself in the company of his experienced seniors.

FOLLOW | IPL 2020 COVERAGE

Chris Morris, signed for a whopping ₹10 crore, provides RCB with a potential explosive finisher alongside England’s Moeen Ali. While Shivam Dube remains too raw at this level, he can be used as a floater across positions 3 and 7.

All-rounder Washington Sundar will hope he gets more opportunities this season after having featured in the squad just four times last year.

Yuzvendra Chahal will be the lead spinner in what is a spin-heavy squad. Adam Zampa, who replaced Kane Richardson in the RCB squad, had a rewarding One-Day International series against England where he was the highest wicket-taker with 10 victims from three matches. The Aussie leg-spinner could be the perfect foil to Chahal. Meanwhile, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini will lead the pace attack.

Left-arm pacer Isuru Udana can force his way into the XI in place of Morris to add variation to the bowling.

This line-up would provide depth to RCB's batting line-up and seven bowling options. Shahbaz Ahmed, who comes into the tournament on the back of a stellar domestic season with both bat and ball, could potentially be RCB's wildcard.

 

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