IPL 2018: How Virat Kohli's men might feature in their season opener

Middle order (Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Mandeep Singh)

There's not much to say about the class of Virat Kohli, that hasn't been said already. The heart of RCB, Kohli would have to retake his batting position at number three. Needless to say, he, along with AB de Villiers will be the key to RCB batting line-up. Virat Kohli will be eyeing the trophy this year, which has eluded RCB for the last decade.

From one champion to another, if Virat Kohli is all about class, AB de Villiers is all about innovation. The South African has already shown everyone, what he is capable of. This time, though, De Villiers will have to play the role of a finisher, as RCB lacks an established finisher down the order. This can also prompt RCB to utilize AB de Villiers' abilities lower down the order, as he has the best strike rate in the tournament, during the overs 16 to 20.

Mandeep Singh can be chosen over Sarfaraz Khan, just because we haven't seen much of Sarfaraz Khan recently. Yet, the youngster will get opportunities as the tournament progresses. Mandeep Singh, on the other hand, has been in pressure situations before and is known to be a destructive batsman, whom RCB will need lower down the order.