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The IPL is around the corner with the teams getting ready for the 13th edition. The auction for the 2020 season took place in December with a few teams buying several players, with the Royal Challengers Bangalore being one such franchise. One fact about the team is their popularity despite not winning the title ever. Right from the beginning, the franchise have been represented by some of the legends of the game but have missed that extra luck which is required to win the trophy.
The latest auction saw the franchise go for some famous players like Aaron Finch, Chris Morris and Dale Steyn. RCB'S main issue will be to get their combination right, with just four overseas players permitted to be a part of the playing XI.
Virat Kohli has been a far matured captain in international cricket in recent times which will be a big plus for the team. Also, the team have an abundance of local talent to finish games. But for RCB to succeed, here are the three players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season:
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#1 Virat Kohli
You don’t have to worry much about your batting when you have arguably the best batsman in the world playing for the team. Being one of the few players to have played for a single IPL franchise, Virat Kohli has amassed 5,412 runs in 177 matches at a strike-rate of 131.61 with five centuries and 36 fifties. Having single-handedly won games for the team on numerous occasions, Kohli has played a huge role in the RCB's success over the years. The success rate of the team increases exponentially when their captain is in great form.
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After an amazing season in 2016, where he scored 973 runs, Kohli hasn’t fired that led to the team performing poorly in the last couple of seasons. But a player of his quality can turn the tide and lead the team to their first-ever championship in 2020. He has been in excellent form in the recent T20Is and the fans would be hoping to see him replicate the same in the coming season of IPL.
#2 Aaron Finch
The captain of the current Australian limited-overs format, Aaron Finch is part of the RCB after playing for seven different teams in the league since 2010. He is a limited-overs specialist, who has immense power-hitting skills at the top of the order. His record in the T20Is and the T20 leagues speaks of his ability to provide explosive starts, which RCB have been lacking since the departure of Chris Gayle. Finch could be the ideal opener for RCB, given that the Chinnaswamy wicket is flat, which could help him break free.
His IPL record isn't that impressive but his BBL career is one to talk about. In 62 matches that he has played, he has scored over 2,200 runs, striking close to 136 as a top-order batsman. So, it’s extremely important for the team to bat him up the order so that they have a solid base over which the Kohli-AB de Villiers duo could run havoc. In some sense, this might be the breakout season for Finch in the IPL.
#3 Joshua Philippe
After failing to retain KL Rahul, RCB haven’t been able to find a convincing wicket-keeper with batting ability. Parthiv Patel, who has been excellent behind the stumps for the past few seasons, hasn’t got the firepower that the team need with the bat. This led the management to go for alternatives and that is when this exciting talent from Australia was found. Joshua Philippe made his T20 debut for Perth Scorchers in 2017. He then moved to Sydney Sixers, where he had an extraordinary outing with more than 300 runs at a strike rate of 160 last season.
He has continued his form this season by scoring 401 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 126.1. His knock of 83 off 52 balls against Adelaide Strikers has been the best in this season so far. This 22-year-old talent could well be the wicket-keeper batsman that RCB were looking for. He is definitely a player to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season.
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