IPL 2020: The ideal bowling combination for Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore is a team that knows how to disappoint its fans one way or another - even though the side is captained by Virat Kohli, who is one of the most influential players India has ever seen.
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League brings some new hopes and new targets for a very new looking RCB team management. Simon Katich and Mike Hesson would be looking to avoid the mistakes of their predecessors and bring home some silverware.
But with new hopes come daunting tasks and problems; problems that just do not seem to go away, like RCB's underachieving bowling department. That has always been a chink in their armor as, for some reason, they just cannot seem to find the right players for the different bowling roles.
Now that we know their full squad, here take a look at what could possibly be RCB's ideal bowling combination for this year.
#3 All-rounders - Chris Morris and Washington Sundar
Last season Kohli didn't play Washington Sundar much, even though his bowling department wasn't performing too well. There's absolutely no reason to not play Sundar in IPL 2020 from the very start, as he is a real asset to have in the team. He can bowl with the new ball and during the middle stages, and along with that can also bat a bit.
The second all-rounder RCB should play with is the newly signed Chris Morris, who will bring his three-dimensional skills to the fore. The South African will probably be Kohli's first choice to bowl at the death, and along with that, Morris will also come in handy with the bat during the death overs.
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#2 Frontline spinner - Yuzvendra Chahal
If Sundar plays for RCB, then Kohli will likely go with only one specialist spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal at home, considering Chinnaswamy Stadium's flat track. But on more spin-friendly wickets, it wouldn't be surprising if Pawan Negi is also drafted into the playing XI.
Ideally though, RCB would like to have two proper spin bowling options, with Chahal being their game-changer. The leg-spinner is RCB's spearhead and without him, their bowling attack just wouldn't be complete.
#1 Frontline seamers - Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav and Dale Steyn
This is where the problem lies for RCB. Of all the options they currently have, none of them are renowned for their run-containing skills. Both Umesh Yadav and Dale Steyn are absolutely deadly when the bowl is moving around a bit, but when there's no help from the pitch, opposition batsmen can easily take them on because they usually bowl Test-like line and length.
Navdeep Saini has improved a lot in that regard as he has now added some variations to his arsenal, which means he might be the second preferred option for Kohli at the death.
If we see some movement at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with the new ball Steyn and Yadav will bowl most of their overs in the powerplay. And if the wicket is flat, then maybe Sundar will get the nod with the new ball.