IPL team guide: Royal Challengers Bangalore

Sport360 staff 19:08 03/04/2017
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  • De Villiers and Kohli. Image: BCCI/Sportzpics

    Who do you think will win IPL 2017? Which batsman will win the Orange Cap and which bowler will take home the Purple Cap?

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    WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

    Royal Challengers Bangalore [RCB] finished as the runners-up in the last edition of the tournament, losing in the final to the Sunrisers Hyderabad at home.

    Earlier, in the league stage, the Bengaluru-based team looked to be heading out of the competition at one point, but some enthralling performances in the second half of the season saw them win their last four matches to qualify for the playoffs.

    At the end of the league stage, they finished second with 16 points – eight wins and six losses.

    They looked to be in big trouble in Qualifier 1, finding themselves 29-5 at one stage in pursuit of 159 against the Gujarat Lions. One of RCB’s superstars AB de Villiers, though, was still there and he guided the home team to the final with an unbeaten 79.

    Captain Virat Kohli was in a league of his own in 2016, scoring 973 runs – a record for the most runs in a single season of the IPL – at 81.08, including four centuries. He was duly named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his efforts.

    De Villiers was also in brilliant touch, with 687 runs to his name at an average of 52.84 and a strike-rate of 168.79.

    With the ball, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was the top wicket-taker with 21 scalps, which saw him capped by the Indian team soon after.

    WHAT IS NEW THIS YEAR?

    With star fast bowler Mitchell Starc pulling out of the 2017 season, RCB went into the auction with their eyes set on finding a suitable replacement for the Australian pacer.

    England left-arm quick Tymal Mills has been impressive in his short T20I career so far and RCB spent INR 12 cr [Dh6.7m] on him. Known for consistently bowling at over 90 mph, Mills also has a slower delivery which is one of his most potent weapons.

    The Royal Challengers bought another left-arm pacer in Aniket Choudhary. The 27-year-old has picked up 33 wickets in 26 T20 matches in his career at an average of 22 and an economy rate of 7.47.

    Other new faces include all-rounder Pawan Negi and Australian pacer Billy Stanlake. Karnataka leg-spinner Praveen Dubey was brought back by RCB after being released ahead of the auction.

    HOW WILL THEY DO?

    Going into the tournament, RCB are considered favourites by most people.

    With a squad that includes some of the biggest names in world cricket, there will be huge pressure on Kohli and co. to bring home their first IPL title.

    The batting line-up is probably the best in the league with Kohli, De Villiers, and Chris Gayle having been the core of the side for a number of years now. They also have some top Indian talent with the bat – with the likes of Kedar Jadhav, Mandeep Singh, Travis Head and Sachin Baby in the squad.

    KL Rahul, though, will be a major loss. The Indian batsman will sit out of the tournament due to the shoulder injury he suffered during the Test series against Australia. He is likely to be joined on the sidelines by Sarfaraz Khan who suffered a leg injury during a practice match.

    Skipper Kohli is likely to be ruled out of the early stages of the competition as well, also due to a shoulder injury.

    Expect the Royal Challengers to qualify for the playoffs and then, it’s a matter of bringing their A-game to the table when it matters – something they have often failed to do in the past.

    SQUAD LIST

    Captain: Virat Kohli

    Batsmen: Chris Gayle (overseas), AB de Villiers (overseas), Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Travis Head (overseas), Sachin Baby.

    All-rounders: Shane Watson (overseas), Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi.

    Wicket-keepers: Kedar Jadhav.

    Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Adam Milne (overseas), Sreenath Aravind, Iqbal Abdullah, Samuel Badree (overseas), Tabraiz Shamsi (overseas), Tymal Mills (overseas), Aniket Choudhary, Avesh Khan, Praveen Dubey, Billy Stanlake (overseas).

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