Predicted Playing XI of RCB if only Indians play in IPL 2020

Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team with a gargantuan fan-base. A team led by arguably one of the finest, fiercest and ablest players in the history of the sport. You look at RCB and inevitably tell yourself- “Ah, what a phenomenal bunch of players!” But somehow, the campaign of “Ee sala cup namde” has reduced to a mere anthem. Year after year, RCB plays and finds itself finishing exactly where it would not like. A new season arrives, the anthem resurfaces, the season ends and the anthem remains unfulfilled. RCB is massively scrutinized, and why not? It has the potential; it has almost everything a team needs, yet not once in the 12-year history of IPL has the “Play Bold Army” managed to emboss its name on that spangling trophy. RCB has become wiser over the years. In the auction for 2020, it filled quite a few gaps, spent vigilantly, retained cautiously, and ensured to build a team that has a good combination of youth and experience. Little did anyone know that April and May, two months synonymous with the IPL would be spent looking at the table of COVID-19 cases and not the points table of our beloved tournament. With uncertainty looming over the fate of the cash-rich league, there are speculations ranging from organizing the IPL behind closed doors to having the tournament without foreign players. If so happens, almost every team will come across challenges related to the selection of players and making a balanced playing XI. Let’s find out what an all-Indian RCB will look like: 1. Parthiv Patel Parthiv Patel. (Photo Source: Twitter) Picked by the RCB in 2018 as a backup wicket-keeper, Parthiv Patel has been a reliable member of the side. The Gujarat-born southpaw has been a handy batsman and a decent option behind the wickets, but never one of those muscular hitters pummeling cricket balls. Parthiv’s stint in the IPL can be best summarized as lukewarm. Having played 139 matches under 6 different IPL franchises, he could be termed an experienced player. However, his numbers don’t paint an impressive picture. With a rather underwhelming average of 22.6 and a strike rate just a touch over 120, he is not one blazing opener that a team wishes to have. The 35-year-old will surely have a bigger and more responsible part to play in this edition if the likes of Aaron Finch and AB de Villiers miss out. 2.Devdutt Padikkal Devdutt Padikkal. (Photo Source: Twitter) The Cooch-Behar-trophy fame, Padikkal is a young and promising new talent. Having started at an age of just 11, he is a self-made and laborious cricketer who has risen from the ranks. He caught the eyeballs after some scintillating knocks he played in the Karnataka Premier League in 2017. After a series of consistent performances at the Under-19 level and the domestic circuit, the young lad bagged an IPL contract with RCB. IPL has been an outstanding platform for budding talents like him to showcase their skills and gain the attention of the selectors. Padikkal is expected to open with Parthiv Patel and this could well be the ‘breakthrough’ for him, which every player waits for. With RCB expecting him to deliver significantly at the top, IPL 13 is going to be an ultimate test for him. He has proven himself to be a quick learner, and an opportunity of sharing the dugout with some of the finest talents must be grabbed by him with both hands. 3. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Does he need an introduction? Virat Kohli is one of the strongest players in any team he plays. The flamboyant batsman is the captain of RCB and will have a bigger role to play should there be no foreign players involved. Kohli is a genuine leader and no matter the format, he never fails to amaze. He has been opening for the past few years, but expect him to push himself down the order this time. His incredible run at No.3 is known to all and he is undeniably the best at that position. He is outstanding at rotating the strike, can hit boundaries at will, identifies and pierces the narrowest of gaps in the field, has a wide array of shots, knows when to shift gears, which bowlers to target and the list never ends. Given his dependability, it is not an aberration for a team to revolve around him. He is the fulcrum of RCB’s batting line up and a large portion of how the team performs depends on him. While he is a batsman as accomplished as any, the captain in him must feel missing out on something. He is a passionate campaigner and must be wanting to add a feather in his cap by making the team win under his leadership. 4. Shivam Dube Shivam Dube. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shivam Dube fits in that role, the find for which is perpetually on in almost every team- a seam-bowling all-rounder. He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler and a lower middle-order batsman who has the capability of playing the expansive shots. Given his sturdy built, he can put enough muscle behind his shots to clear any boundary. The youngster has a knack of playing spin, and his height is a certain advantage. The 26-year-old needs to improve his bowling as currently, he is more of a batsman who can bowl. He bowls at around 125-130 which makes his bowling readable. Add a little more pace and a few variations in his bowling armoury, he could be the answer to India’s long search of a fast-bowling all-rounder and a great asset for his IPL franchise. He usually comes in at 6, but he might be promoted up the order this year. 5. Gurkeerat Singh Mann Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Shimron Hetmyer. (Photo Source: Twitter) Gurkeerat’s IPL stint began in 2012 when he was picked by the Kings XI Punjab. The Punjab-born batsman has managed to stick around by giving some convincing performances but is not one of those top-notch batsmen. He has played some match-winning knocks over the years, one being his 48-ball 65 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win affair for RCB last year. Along with Shimron Hetmyer, he stitched a 144-run stand to get his team across the line. Gurkeerat bowls part-time off-break and bats in the middle order. He is expected to bat at No.5 position for RCB this year when the IPL 2020 gets underway. 6. Pawan Negi Pawan Negi. (Photo Source: BCCI) Pawan Negi is a slow left-arm-spinner who can be an odd pinch-hitter. After performing impressively for the Chennai Super Kings in the preceding edition, the Delhi-born cricketer grabbed the spotlight when he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for an astonishing INR 8.5 crore in 2016. The whopping deal made him the most expensive uncapped buy ever. Succumbing under pressure, Negi had a rather ordinary run and he failed to justify his price. Consequently, he was released by DD and was bought by RCB ahead of the 2017 IPL. With fortunes going his way, he proved himself as a useful buy, taking more wickets than anyone else for his franchise in the 2017 edition. Negi’s rollercoaster ride in the IPL has been quite a hype. The coming season should be an opportunity for him to prove his mettle. 7. Washington Sundar Washington Sundar. (Photo: IANS) Washington Sundar is a multi-dimensional player and certain value addition for a team. The 20-year-old bowls right-arm off-break and is known for his skill of containing runs and bowling with discipline. Sundar is neither a square turner of the ball, nor a certain wicket-taker, but surely an adroit spinner who has the ability to pick his spot, hit specific areas consistently, and bowl dauntlessly in the powerplay overs Though his appearance in the Indian T20I team has been sporadic, he has matured as a bowler by capitalizing on whatever chances he has been given. He can contribute in the lower order with the bat and RCB can use him at number. 8. Yuzvendra Chahal Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo: IANS) Yuzvendra Chahal’s association with RCB dates back to 2014. The aggressive leg-spinner is an impactful specialist when it comes to the shorter versions of cricket. Being the highest wicket-taker for two years running since 2015, the 29-year-old cemented his spot in the franchise. Chahal is a guileful wrist-spinner with immense wicket-taking abilities. His confident approach allows him to bowl at inviting lines and take a few risks, but it is the same quality which makes him a wicket-taker. He is a fearless spinner who does not mind going for runs and loves taking chances by enticing the batsmen with tossed up deliveries. Batting is not his forte but he can hold one end up on the odd occasion. He is more than a valuable contributor with the ball and a decent fielder. 9. Umesh Yadav Umesh Yadav of Royal Challengers Bangalore in action. (Photo by IANS) Umesh Yadav has been a familiar face in Indian cricket for a decade now. The gun pacer has an ability to clock in the mid-140s regularly. On his day, Yadav can run through an entire team by himself, having said that, he has lacked consistency and has not exploited his potential to the fullest. The Haryana-born speedster has the skill of swinging the ball both ways. He possesses a weapon in the form of the scrambled seam delivery which makes most batsmen uncomfortable. His biggest weakness remains bowling at the death. However, given the variety of bowling options, RCB has this year, Yadav can be easily avoided in the death overs. He is a robust lad who can easily wallop sixes. Overall he proves himself to be a good asset for his team. 10. Navdeep Saini Navdeep Saini. (Photo Source: Twitter) An express fast bowler, Navdeep Saini is known for hitting the deck hard. The 27-year-old astute pacer relies heavily on swing, accuracy, and variations in length. He is someone who loves to walk the extra mile for his team. Saini has the potential to test the batsmen and he is capable of bowling with the new ball as well as at the death. With the guile of a lethal bouncer and yorker in his arsenal, the lanky pacer bowling in tandem with Umesh Yadav can surely wreak havoc on the opponents. In all likelihood, Saini is going to be an important cog in the pace battery of RCB, and having him in rhythm will be a blessing for the team. Aware of his skill-set, RCB paid a whopping 3 Crore to him last year. 11. Mohammad Siraj Mohammed Siraj. (Photo by IANS) Siraj is a right-arm quick who rose to fame in 2017 after being picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He is an athletic and swift pacer with a treacherous run-up. An assiduous bowler, Siraj has the ability to generate pace and bounce on any wicket. He has gained name and fame, but he is surely capable of much more than what he has achieved hitherto. Siraj’s IPL journey has been quite unpredictable. He has looked like he belongs momentarily, but he has not been able to maintain the tempo. Being retained by the team, he would certainly want to prove their decision correct by delivering his best. ~Written by Pratyay Tiwari

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Predicted Playing XI of RCB if only Indians play in IPL 2020

With uncertainty looming over the fate of the cash-rich league, there are speculations ranging from organizing the IPL behind closed doors to having the tournament without foreign players.

11. Mohammad Siraj

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