How Virat Kohli's red army will line up this season

Royal Challengers Bangalore have thrice been runner-ups in the IPL, but have failed to make it over the line and lift the prestigious trophy. Led by Indian skipper Virat Kohli, the side have managed to put up some stellar performances in recent years. With another edition of the IPL coming up, the fans will be hoping to see their side emerge victorious and grab their maiden IPL title.

The franchise was successful in putting together a decent squad from the recently-concluded IPL Auction. With the presence of a good mix of veterans and youngsters in the squad, RCB can be serious contenders to take home the IPL crown.

Take a look at how they could line up for the 11th edition:

Openers

Brendon McCullum

McCullum's aggressive batting style along with his impressive fielding has made him an ideal player for the T20 format. He can dismantle any bowling line-up with his monstrous hits over the boundary rope.

Parthiv Patel (WK)

The Indian wicket-keeper is a stylish top order batsman generally known to get his team off to quick starts. He possesses the ability to pierce gaps and make the most of the fielding restrictions. He will most probably be donning the wicket-keeping gloves for the team this season.

Middle-order

Virat Kohli (C)

The Indian skipper is a prolific middle-order batsman in all formats of the game. He is one of the most consistent run-scorers and can dominate any bowling line-up in the world. He adjusts his game according to the match situation and does not require much time to shift gears while batting. He will lead the RCB side in the upcoming IPL.

AB de Villiers

A brutal batsman and an agile fielder, there are a very few things AB cannot do on a cricket field. Considered one of the most lethal batsmen to have ever played the T20 format, he has the ability to strike the ball to any part of the ground, and RCB will need his finishing abilities if they are to go all the way this time around.

Sarfaraz Khan

A clean hitter of the cricket ball, Sarfaraz has the ability to score runs quickly. He impressed one and all with his fearless batting in IPL 2015 - his debut IPL season - and the ability to stay calm in the slog overs. However, fitness would be an aspect Sarfaraz would be hoping to improve on before IPL 2018.

Mandeep Singh

Mandeep is a prolific run scorer, powerful striker of the cricket ball and a sharp fielder. He has time and again proven himself, delivering crucial knocks in the middle order for RCB.

All-rounders

Washington Sundar

With brilliant performances in IPL 2017, Sundar will be heading into IPL 2018 with a lot of confidence. At 18, he is one of India's next generation. With the ball, he is extremely consistent with his line and length, preventing batsmen from freeing their arms.

Chris Woakes

Woakes' ability to strike with the new ball and also bowl well at the death makes him a handy customer. He is also quite handy as a batsman, and will be one of the core members of this RCB unit.

Bowlers

Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal has been one of Virat's go-to men in recent IPL seasons. His skiddy bowling action and accurate line and length make life difficult for the batsmen. He likes to toss the ball up and several of his wickets have come from batsmen attempting to clear the fence.

Umesh Yadav

Yadav's ability to bowl up front as well as during the death overs makes him one of the best Indian pacers in the IPL and he will be leading the RCB pace attack in IPL 2018.

Nathan Coulter-Nile

The Aussie bowler provides extra depth to the RCB pace department. While he is primarily known for his bowling skills, he also possesses the ability to score crucial runs down the order. He mixes up his line and length well, making it difficult for batsmen to score runs off his bowling.