IPL 2018: 5 players that RCB must retain to win their first IPL title

Royal Challengers Bangalore, the most alluring team in IPL for cricket fans, will be raring to go when the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League begins in April next year. Following a disappointing run in the 2017 season, there is considerable pressure on the Red Army to put on a solid show and mount a strong challenge for the 2018 IPL title.

With the mega auction set to take place in February next year, plenty of players are expected to go under the hammer. However, RCB's team management might look to retain these five potent game-changing players for the upcoming season. In doing so, the franchise would have formed a core team from which they can expand in the auction.

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#5 Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal is probably the best leg-spinner in India at the moment

Yuzvendra Chahal has shown his flair in the international arena by grabbing 18 wickets in 12 T20s and 21 wickets in 14 ODIs. The leg spinner proved his knack when he took a six wicket haul against the English team in a crucial T20I game at Bengaluru earlier this year.

Chahal has rapidly risen during the course of the last few seasons to become his captain's preferred bowler at crunch situations. The 23 year old, with his captivating flight and deceptive googlies, has taken 58 wickets for RCB in the past 3 seasons. He was also the highest wicket taker for RCB in 2015. His prowess will certainly bolster their spin attack and help the team attain a higher position in the league.

#4 Chris Gayle

Gayle is a proven performer in the shortest format of the game

Chris Gayle is a hard hitter of the white ball and can take apart bowling attacks with ease. The left hander is the only player to score over 10,000 runs in T20 matches, with as many as 18 centuries and 65 fifties. The big man with a heavy bat has hit 872 sixes in the T20 format. He is also the first ever cricketer to score centuries in all three formats of the game.

During his memorable stint with RCB, Gayle has consistently shown his big-hitting ability. He smashed 175 from 66 balls during the 2013 season and broke many records in the process. The destructive opener has hit five centuries by maintaining a strike rate of 151.20. Although he is a shadow of his old self, the left-hander can still produce match-winning knocks in T20 cricket.

#3 KL Rahul

Rahul is one of the rising stars of Indian cricket

With his versatile stroke-play and vast hitting range, KL Rahul is widely regarded as the future of Indian batting. He has already scored at least one century in each of the three formats. His rapid 46-ball 110 is the highest scorer for Team India in the shortest format of the game.

The talented right-hander scored 397 runs for RCB in the 2017 season. His consistency can be identified from a remarkable of average of 44.11 during a season wherein most of the other batsmen in the lineup failed to impress. He holds a special reputation among the think tank for his batting technique and application.

#2 AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers remains one of the most dangerous batsmen to play the game

AB de Villiers is among the most dangerous batsmen to ever play the game. His ability to innovate and target unique areas in the field have made the bowlers hapless in many crunch situations. The acrobatic right hand-hander has hit three centuries and twenty-two fifties across numerous editions of the IPL.

The dynamic cricketer was acquired for $1.1 million by RCB during the 2011 auction. Since then, he has become a crucial batsman for the franchise by transforming the top-order into a power-packed unit. The former South Africa skipper has scored a total of 1200 runs in the 8th and 9th editions of the tournament. He will be close to the top of the list of players likely to be retained by the Royal Challengers.

#1 Virat Kohli

Kohli is the most consistent batsman in the history of T20 cricket

Apart from being a highly reliable batsman in the Indian team across all three formats of the game, Virat Kohli is the only player in the RCB squad right from the beginning of the Indian Premier League. The Delhi dasher has amassed a whopping 4418 runs from 141 Innings and is only behind Suresh Raina in the list of all-time run-makers in the tournament's history. The flamboyant cricketer is also currently at the top of the ICC batsman’s rankings for both ODIs and T20Is.

As an attacking captain, Kohli has taken the Indian team to the top of the Test table. He is also yet to lose a bilateral limited-overs series as national skipper. During the 2016 season, Kohli led RCB to the summit clash by scoring a record-breaking 973 runs with four centuries. Although the 2017 edition was an abysmal one for the franchise, 2018 could be the year when he finally navigates the RCB to break their title drought in the IPL.