IPL 2019: The ideal XI that Royal Challengers Bangalore should aim for after the auction

Royal Challengers Bangalore have been one of the most widely followed franchises in the Indian Premier League. They have a passionate fan base who turn up to watch them at almost every stadium in the country. This is despite the fact that RCB have never won the IPL trophy in spite of coming close on many occasions.

For a team which is captained by Virat Kohli there are always huge expectations, which RCB have failed to fulfill in the past seasons. But every season is a new beginning, and so the management at RCB will look for a fresh beginning in 2019 with a better squad.

They have retained a good set of players who can form a decent team this year. They will also need some new signings who can bring more options and flexibility to Kohli.

On that note, we have compiled a well-balanced playing XI which RCB should aim for the in upcoming season. They will need to sign a few players and make some hard decisions within the squad to achieve this.

Openers: Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli

With the options available in the market, it would be best for RCB to go with Parthiv as the wicketkeeper. He is a decent batsman and can give quick starts to take the pressure off Kohli at the other end. His experience will also be a valuable asset to the team.

Kohli is the best batsman in the world right now, and the preferred approach would be to give him maximum deliveries to play. RCB's chances of winning would automatically improve if Kohli gets more overs to face, be it when they are chasing or putting up a score.

Middle-order: AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Hanuma Vihari

RCB should look to buy Glenn Maxwell at the auctions

The middle-order has been the major concern of RCB for some time now. They have not had players who can step up when Kohli and ABD fall early in the innings.

Hence, RCB need an overseas and a domestic batsman each to give stability to the batting unit. They have used the likes of Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan last season, which didn't work for them, so they need to try something new this time.

Glenn Maxwell is a fantastic T20 player and his exploits in the IPL are well known. He could be a suitable batsman to follow Kohli and De Villiers, as he can play the game from almost every situation. Moreover, he is one of the best available options in the market.

Shimron Hetymer and Joe Root could be decent options too.

Hanuma Vihari, meanwhile, has made a name for himself in the domestic circuit. He is a Test player for India now and he would be a good option in the RCB middle order considering his ability to both anchor the innings and score at a good strike rate.

All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar

Axar would be a valuable addition to RCB

RCb have always struggled to find a good all-rounder in their squad. That has affected the team balance in the past, when Kohli had no bowling choices even when one bowler had a bad day.

Last season they tried to resolve the issue by using Moeen Ali, Washington Sundar and Colin De Grandhomme. However, they have now got a new addition in Marcus Stoinis, who will straight away walk into the squad.

RCB should look to buy Axar Patel as well since he can contribute in both the departments on his day. He is a good fielder and will offer variety to the bowling unit.

Sundar, meanwhile, needs to step up if RCB hope to do well next season.

Bowlers: Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal

Umesh Yadav will lead the bowling attack again

RCB found a stable bowling line-up by the end of last season, but it was too late by then. They may not need further additions to the bowling department if they go ahead with this trio.

They have good backups in Pawan Negi, Mohammad Siraj, Navdeep Saini and Nathan Coulter Nile in the team. However, they still lack the cutting edge in the bowling department, which could be bolstered if they try to sign players like Oshane Thomas or Varun Chakravarthy.