KEY STORY
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Ending their poor run in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) finally qualified for the playoffs last year. However, they fell short in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad and crashed out. The Virat Kohli-led side had lost 4 back-to-back matches going into the must-win match and suffered yet another defeat.
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RCB will look for a fresh start in the upcoming season. The franchise had released 10 players and made 8 purchases at the IPL 2021 auction. They spent big money on all-rounders Glenn maxwell (14.25 crore) and Kyle Jamieson (15 crore). The staggering amount makes them an automatic selection.
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The addition of 8 players will see the franchise’s plans change drastically as RCB’s squad bears a different look if compared to IPL 2020. So what changes will the team management make? Ahead of IPL 2021, we have a look at RCB’s strongest playing XI –
Openers
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The below-par performance from the openers was one of the major reasons behind RCB’s poor run in the previous season and going into IPL 2021, they are expected to take a big call for this spot.
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Maxwell, who has a century while opening for Australia in T20Is, looks a strong contender. Captain Kohli has now moved in the middle-order while AB de Villiers is undoubtedly the best finisher that RCB have.
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Hence, they could use Maxwell at the start. Batting in middle last year (for Punjab Kings), Maxwell only managed 108 runs in 13 matches and failed to clear the fence even once. Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 473 runs in IPL 2020, will keep his spot.
Middle-order
United diagnosticss
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Kohli, who used to open for RCB earlier, is expected to continue at 3. The openers’ poor performance in IPL 2020 saw Kohli open in the Eliminator but he isn’t expected to move to that spot on a regular basis. He will be followed by AB de Villiers, RCB’s batting fulcrum. RCB don’t have many experienced batsmen to bat in the lower middle-order.
All-rounders
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RCB have plenty of all-rounders and they will form RCB’s lower middle-order. Washington Sundar will keep one of the spots while Daniel Christian, who joined the franchise for Rs 4.8 crore, is another strong contender to bat at 5 or 6. Pacer Harshal Patel is also a reliable option with the bat and can play at 7.
Bowlers
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Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj are two automatic selections for now. While Chahal will lead the spin attack, Siraj will spearhead the group of pacers despite the presence of seniors.
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Kyle Jamieson, who is primarily a bowling all-rounder, will share the new ball. He can also bat in the lower middle-order if given opportunities.
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The likes of Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson and Navdeep Saini might compete for the final spot. If the management goes with an overseas option, then they might drop Christian.
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The 11th pick will largely depend on the pitch as RCB might not play Christian at Chennai. While he might get the nod if playing on a pitch where RCB can also get the job by Maxwell in Zampa’s absence.
Royal Challengers Bangalore strongest playing XI for IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell,
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Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ab de Villiers (WK), Washington Sundar, Daniel Christian, Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson/Adam Zampa/Navdeep Saini
