IPL 2018: Analysing Royal Challengers Bangalore squad

Bowling

Chahal will lead RCB's bowling attack

Positives: RCB made a statement by getting a big pool of bowlers.They got some exciting Indian talent in Mohammed Siraj, Aniket Choudhary, Kulwant Khejroliya and Murugan Ashwin. Siraj, the raw pacer from Hyderabad would be raring to do well for RCB after having a mediocre start to his international career.

Umesh Yadav, along with RCB's overseas buys, Tim Southee, Chris Woakes & Nathan Coulter-Nile, can trouble the batsmen with their swing and accurate bowling. Each of them has had successful IPL campaigns. Pawan Negi and Yuzvendra Chahal, on whom RCB used their RTM card, will be effective on the slow, re-laid surface of the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Negatives: The Indian bowlers, excluding Umesh Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, are vastly inexperienced. They hardly have any experience of bowling to players of international standards. If RCB opt to field three batsmen out of the available four overseas slots, then the Indian bowlers will have to deliver as only one of Southee, Coulter-Nile and Woakes would get a place in the playing XI. The inexperienced bowlers might crumble under pressure.

Star Bowler: Yuzvendra Chahal, will turn out in the RCB colours at their home, the Chinnaswamy stadium, where he earned the best-bowling figures for India in T20Is. He will be expected to repeat such match-winning performances for the team on a consistent basis.

Chahal has 70 wickets in his 56-match IPL career and has done really well in the IPL since being picked up by the RCB in 2014.

Rating: 6.5/10