IPL 2019: One immediate bowling change Royal Challengers Bangalore need to make in order to keep their playoff hopes alive
IPL 2019 has reached its business end and everyone is awaiting to see which teams make it to the playoffs. Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians are favourites to finish in the top four, while the remaining five teams are slugging it out for the final playoff spot.
With just four wins from 11 games, the Royal Challengers Bangalore are currently seventh in the IPL points table. RCB need to win their remaining three games to have any chance of making it to the playoffs. With Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers scoring runs consistently, they don’t have much woes regarding the batting unit. But it’s the bowlers who have let them down time and again.
One bold change that RCB should make now is to replace Umesh Yadav with Kulwant Khejroliya. Yadav has been expensive in the last six games he has played. His bowling figures in the recent games read, 4-0-36-3 against the Kings XI Punjab, 4-0-47-2 against CSK (leaked 24 runs in the last over), 2-0-25-2 against MI, 4-0-42-0 against KXIP, 3.5-0-40-0 against the Rajasthan Royals and 4-0-47-0 against the Sun Risers Hyderbad.
With all the upcoming matches being a must-win for RCB, they cannot afford to risk an out-of-form bowler in their playing XI. Kulwant Khejroliya is a left-arm pacer from Delhi, who rose to fame after a brilliant hat-trick against Haryana in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018. He will be fruitful for RCB due to his ability to swing the ball both ways. He played three matches for RCB last season, but is yet to feature in the ongoing edition of the IPL.
Probable XI – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Parthiv Patel (WK), Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Marcus Stoinis, Colin de Grandhomme, Akshdeep Nath, Wahington Sundar, Kulwant Khejroliya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Dale Steyn
Players on the bench: Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Heinrich Klassen, Himmat Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Prayas Barman, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Mohammed Siraj
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