IPL 2018: How Virat Kohli’s boys line up in the tournament

It is said that “fortune favors the brave”. But there is one side in the IPL which is too brave to have a favored fortune and they are the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Karnataka-based IPL franchise has always been one of the most favorite teams in the tournament and carry huge expectations from the fans.

In the last 10 years, they have never lacked batting prowess because of the presence of big names like Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers, Shane Watson and of course, the maestr Virat Kohli himself. The team is very athletic and agile and always had some decent bowling options like Mitchell Starc, Yuzvendra Chahal, Samuel Badree and T20 specialists like Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan.

But unfortunately, they have never been able to find the right balance in their squad and either of the departments has let them down. Till date, finishing as runners-up has been their best performance.

However, backed by an ever cheerful crowd; Virat Kohli, the skipper of the side, will look to change the fortunes this year. As IPL is only 28 days away, let us find out how Virat Kohli's boys may line up in their hunt for glory.

Openers

RCB will be relying on De Kock and Vohra for a solid start

Quinton de Kock (WK)

The South African wicket-keeper batsman is one of top 10 ODI batsmen in the world and has been very flamboyant in T20s too. He can hit hard, can score quick runs as well as can give the team a good start.

The 25-year-old left-handed batsman averages close to 30 in T20s at a strike rate of around 130. Additionally, he has a safe pair of hands behind the stumps. De Kock has already proved his mettle at international level and with Delhi Daredevils in the last IPL. It is expected that he will add great value to the side.

Manan Vohra

The 24-year-old opener from Punjab had a decent season in the IPL last year. The ability to hit big and a strike rate of 144 in T20s makes him the ideal opening pair for Quinton de Kock.

Apart from being an aggressive batsman, he is known for his athleticism and is quick in the field. He had a decent domestic season and the RCB think-tank can definitely utilize his potential.

Middle Order

Virat Kohli and ABD hold the key to batting while Sarfaraz will look to finish things off

Virat Kohli

With over 4000 runs in the IPL at an overall strike rate close to 130, the skipper comes to the crease at No.3. He reads the game well and can go according to the situation especially when it comes to chasing.

Having tasted phenomenal success with the national team recently, he will certainly push his team to change the fortune this year. He holds the key to the team's batting and can accelerate the game as and when required. The fans will be really eyeing towards him to deliver and if he can replicate his current form, the RCB supporters may have lots of reasons to cheer.

AB de Villiers.

He is the most loved foreign cricketer in the country and has earned his reputation as well as respect over the years. Popularly known as “Mr.360”, he is skillful, cheeky, and can simply decimate any bowling opposition on his day.

Like the skipper, he reads the game well and has a wide array of stroke under his armor and is very agile in the field. Both Virat Kohli and him enjoy a nice camaraderie and that holds the core of this RCB team. He scored a gritty century in the ongoing Test series against Australia and is in a good nick. With a strike rate close to 150 and an average of 38.66, he will look to make things uneasy for the opposition and will surely entertain the fans.

Sarfaraz Khan.

The cricketing world was taken by surprise when the RCB management decided to retain Sarfaraz Khan instead of players like KL Rahul and Kedar Jadhav. The former U-19 star was struggling through injury in the last season and the RCB management chose to have faith on his talent.

Prior to that season, the young hit-man rose to fame when he piled up runs in the domestic circuit and made valiant efforts to take the U-19 team to World Cup finals. He is a clean stroke-maker and yet can play fierce brand of cricket to finish things off. He has worked on his fitness and techniques in the interim period. With a strike rate of above 170 in the IPL and the management by his side, it's his time to step up and repay the faith.

All-Rounders

Woakes and Sundar form the perfect blend of experience and youth all-rounder duo

Chris Woakes

Often called as the "Mr. Dependable" of English cricket, Chris Woakes stormed into the IPL arena last season when he became the 2nd highest paid player for the KKR franchise. Although he had a modest season with the bat, he scalped 17 wickets in 13 matches for the KKR side at an impressive strike rate of around 15.

He was roped in by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the auction and he can fit the role of an all-rounder perfectly. He can score runs when required and can be the go-to bowler for the skipper due to his variations and wicket-taking abilities.

He has scored crucial runs in the recently-concluded ODI against Australia and New Zealand and has taken 15 wickets during that tour. He can bowl really well in the death and can be the missing link of RCB's success.

Washington Sundar

The year 2017 saw the meteoric rise of this 18-year-old lad from Tamil Nadu. Already taking the Tamil Nadu Premier League by storm, he was introduced into the IPL world as the replacement of R Ashwin in the Rising Pune Super giants' colors.

He did not disappoint then and proved to be handy with the ball. He scalped 8 wickets at an economy of 6.16 in his maiden season and was rewarded with Indian team call against Sri Lanka. He has proved his worth with the bat in the domestic matches and has potential to grow as a bowling all-rounder. If he is given a chance, he can turn out to be a big prospect for the Royal Challengers.

Bowlers

Chahal-the man with the golden arms still holds the key alongside a formidable pace attack

Umesh Yadav

The "Vidarbha Express" enjoyed a successful stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders until last year and is ready to run through the opposition batting for RCB this year. Currently, he is an integral part of the Indian pace unit in Tests and has sharpened his swing ever since his debut.

He can clock around 140 kph at regular intervals and is a successful campaigner at IPL. He picked up 17 wickets from 14 matches in the last season and is known to be one of the fittest players in the current Indian team. He is agile and can hit big shots down the order (he has a career best of 128 not out in the domestic circuit to his name). Having bowled well for Vidarbha and India B in the domestic circuit this season, he will spearhead the pace attack for the Royal Challengers.

Nathan Coulter-Nile

The tall experienced Australian will share the pace bowling responsibilities along with the likes of Chris Woakes and Umesh Yadav. He performed exceptionally well in the last season with KKR where he bagged 15 wickets from just 8 matches for the Knights.

He has prior experience of playing in IPL as well as for Australia and has tasted success in the Big Bash League as well. He is an athletic fielder and can hit long sixes down the order. He is credited to have hit one of the biggest sixes ever hit at 'Gabba-Brisbane' during the Big Bash League 2012-13. With 36 IPL wickets at an economy of just above 7.5, he will surely add value to the resurrecting bowling attack.

Mohammed Siraj

Like Washington Sundar, another player who rose to fame was Mohammed-Siraj. The Hyderabad-born speed star was paid a whopping Rs. 2.6 crores last year by Sunrisers Hyderabad after his brilliant performance in the Ranji trophy.

He took 10 wickets in his maiden IPL and was praised for his pace. He was soon rewarded with the India call where he proved to be a bit expensive. But he has been in great form now and has already picked up 29 wickets in his last 10 'List A' matches for Hyderabad. Being an interesting prospect, the RCB management will love to exploit the raw pace of this young lad to strengthen their bowling line up.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Last but not the least, is the new spin sensation, Yuzvendra Chahal. He is currently one of the most reliable bowlers for the national team and is known to bamboozle the batsman with his variations of wrist spin as well as length. He is intelligent, aggressive and can bowl according to the situation even on flat tracks. He holds the record of best bowling figure by an Indian in T20s (6/25) and is an exciting talent to be on the team.

He has the trust of his skipper with him and normally has the experience to bowl economically even in the power plays. With 43 wickets from 23 matches in ODIs and 30 wickets in 18 T20 internationals, Chahal will be the key man in bowling department for RCB in their hunt for glory.