IPL 2020: Royal Challengers Bangalore strongest possible lineup
It was a hectic day as the IPL Auctions 2020 commenced in Kolkata yesterday. Royal Challengers Bangalore who has been one of the perennial underachievers of the tournament will be seeking redemption next season. They have some new faces in their squad who will look to lend stability and balance to the squad. RCB already has some exceptional talents in their ranks but gelling together as a unit has been their main issue.
Having released several players from their squad, RCB invested small amounts in a couple of uncapped players. They also managed to bag the services of Chris Morris and Aaron Finch who might be great additions for them going forward.
Royal Challengers Bangalore full squad
Batsmen- Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Parthiv Patel (wk), Aaron Finch, Joshua Philippe (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed (wk), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Pavan Deshpande
All-rounders- Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana
Spinners- Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Pawan Negi
Fast Bowlers- Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Dale Steyn
Now with the auctions done and dusted let us have a look at the best possible playing XI for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Openers
Aaron Finch
He was bound to fetch a good amount in the auction and it went as per plan. It was the Royal Challengers Bangalore who bagged him for Rs 4.4 crores. He is an explosive top-order batsman and has been at the helm of the Australian limited-overs team for quite a while now.
Hence he knows a thing or two about captaincy. Finch could end for the worries for RCB at the opening slot. In the past, skipper Virat Kohli has also moved up the order to open the innings. However, with Finch around, he could be handling the opening duties along with Parthiv Patel.
Parthiv Patel
The southpaw has been an integral part of the RCB unit but hasn’t come to the limelight often. He has remained in the shadows of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers during his stint for RCB but has gone about his job in an unfazed manner. He hasn’t received enough plaudits for his contribution to the RCB team. Even last year, Parthiv looked in good touch all through the course of the tournament.
He hasn’t been in the best of touches in the recent past but he will fit in this team perfectly. Parthiv is a safe wicket-keeper behind the stumps and inflicted a match-winning run out against Chennai Super Kings last season. The left-hander is a good striker of the ball and could turn out to be the unsung hero for RCB yet again.