5 reasons why RCB will win IPL 2018

The presence of genuine all-rounders bolsters the balance of the team

#3 All bases covered

Always blamed as being top heavy, RCB has now struck a balance with their side. Letting go of the legendary Chris Gayle will be rued by RCB fans, but the fact that they still have the services of Kohli and AB de Villiers in their ranks, makes their batting look as deadly.

To complement the two RCB greats will be destructive wicket-keeper batsman, Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum, one of whom will make the final XI. The retention of Sarfraz Khan and the likes of Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra make up for the lack of depth in the previous seasons.

The greatest change though is the presence of all-round options in the team. Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Colin de Grandhomme, and Washington Sundar (TNPL's highest run scorer with 459 runs at a SR of 154.54 and second highest wicket taker with 15 wickets at an economy rate of 6.16) are all two-dimensional players and provide the much-needed balance to the RCB setup.

Ali has featured in 109 T20's across the world and scored 2109 runs at a strike rate of 128.85 that compliment his 69 wickets, courtesy his accurate off-spin. His compatriot, Woakes, has picked 109 T20 wickets and is a decent lower order hitter who strikes at 134.34. The Kiwi all-rounder, Grandhomme, boasts of a strike rate of 167.80 across his 141 T20 matches and can be very useful while finishing games off.

Taking the field with more than five genuine bowling options will give a lot of relief to captain Virat Kohli. With the bowlers already having been discussed, the team looks a complete package that has the potential to go all the way.