Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
Royal Challengers Bangalore are undoubtedly one of the most popular franchises in the history of Indian Premier League. However, the popularity has unfortunately not been translated to success on the field. Led by a charismatic skipper in Virat Kohli, RCB have failed to win a title in the 13 editions of tournament so far. They have made it to the finals thrice in 2009, 2011 and 2016. However, they have just not been able to cross the final hurdle. However, RCB retained only 12 players from last season. They added some exciting talent in trade window and auction to form a lethal squad for IPL 2021. With an enthusiastic captain, an explosive team and an ambitious coach, RCB will be a team to watch out for.
Looking back at IPL 2020
Royal Challengers Bangalore had quite an impressive campaign last year. After failing to reach the playoffs in previous three seasons, Virat Kohli's side finally broke the jinx in IPL 2020. They finished 4th in the league stages with 7 wins in 14 matches. They were playing some fantastic cricket at the half-way stage last season, however things turned upside down in the business end. RCB ended their 2020 campaign with five consecutive defeats, with the last one coming in the eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While it was a disappointing end to the season, one cannot ignore the fact that the franchise actually played some extremely impressive cricket overall. There were some really positive signs for RCB which they can be extremely proud of. They have made some exciting signings in the form of Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson which could prove to be the X-Factors for them in the upcoming season.
Batting Order
The batting of Royal Challengers Bangalore has always been their strength. With Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in their side, they are often left with the responsibility to do bulk of the scoring. However, they found a new star in the form of Devdutt Padikkal last season. The Karnataka youngster surprisingly emerged as the top-scorer for franchise in 2020, with 473 runs. The 20-year-old had a fantastic Vijay Hazare Trophy at top of the order and will be a key player for RCB this season. After Aaron Finch had a disappointing season in 2020, he was released and RCB have roped in the dangerous duo of Glenn Maxwell and Dan Christian to give their batting a little more explosiveness in the middle-order. The franchise has also signed a few exciting domestic players in the form of Mohammed Azharudeen, KS Bharat and Sachin Baby, who might provide them the batting depth they missed last season.
Bowling Attack
The bowling line-up of RCB is always the talk of the town every season. Virat Kohli's side has often lacked behind other teams in this department and this is something they have tried to improve going into this season. Apart from Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal, they also have the young Indian Test stars in the form of Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj. The franchise also has some fantastic overseas bowlers like Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams and the 15 crore signing Kyle Jamieson. All-rounders Maxwell and Christian can also give their bowling side a lot of balance as they have the tendency to pick crucial wickets in T20 cricket. Although there might not be a lot of experience in that bowling line-up, there is undoubtedly no dearth of talent. It will be very interesting to see if the RCB bowlers can back their batters in IPL 2021.
Leadership Group
RCB have undoubtedly one of the most influential captains in the form of Virat Kohli. Although he has failed to lead them to a IPL title, one cannot ignore the kind of aggression he bring to the side. The 32-year-old will have the support of AB de Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal in the leadership group. The latest addition of experienced Aussie duo of Glenn Maxwell and Dan Christian could also be quite valuable in this season. The franchise also has a very solid backroom staff led by charismatic Mike Hesson. While Simon Katich too is a great leader, they have also added Sanjay Bangar to their coaching staff.
Marquee Players
Virat Kohli: Matches – 192 | Runs – 5878 | SR – 130.73 | Avg – 38.16
AB de Villiers: Matches – 169 | Runs – 4849 | SR – 151.9 | Avg – 40.40
Yuzvendra Chahal: Matches – 99 | Wickets – 121 | ER – 7.67 | Best – 4/25
Glenn Maxwell: Matches – 82 | Runs – 1505 | SR – 154.7 | Wickets: 19
Players to watch out for
Devdutt Padikkal: Matches – 15 | Runs – 473 | SR- 124.8 | Avg – 31.5
Washington Sundar: Matches – 36 | Wickets – 24 | ER – 6.87 | Best – 3/16
Kyle Jamieson (T20Is): Matches – 8 | Wickets – 4 | ER – 9.80 | Best – 2/15
Dan Christian: Matches – 40 | Runs – 446 | SR – 119.2 | Wickets: 34
Full Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad for IPL 2021
Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Finn Allen (wk), Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahmed, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Harshal Patel, Daniel Sams, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharudeen, Suyash Prabhudesai, Kona Srikar Bharat (wk).