IPL 2018: Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) SWOT analysis

Weakness

Umesh Yadav will have an important role to play for RCB this season

Pace bowling

Though the RCB team management left no stone unturned in building up a formidable squad, they might have missed a trick or two during the auction. Their pace battery, at best, makes for an average read on paper and the opposition would want to exploit this weakness of the Bangalore-based franchise.

Among Indians, Umesh Yadav is their most experienced paceman who has an economy of 8.21 in T20s and New Zealand's Tim Southee, his foreign counterpart, leaks runs at 8.27 runs per over in the shortest format of the sport. Losing Nathan Coulter-Nile to injury doesn't help their case as well.

Except for Yadav and Southee, RCB's pace bowling department, consisting of the likes of Kulwant Khejroliya, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini and Aniket Choudhary, lacks experience and might break down in crunch situations. In the past, Kohli's team has paid the price of fielding a batting-heavy side and the story might as well repeat itself in the 11th edition of the tournament.