IPL: 3 Indian cricketers who owe their careers to RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) haven't exactly been a breeding ground for young talents in the Indian Premier League (IPL). With questionable recruitment and retention policies over the years, all three IPL finals they have reached have ended in crushing disappointments.
Indian cricketers RCB have groomed in the IPL
However, RCB have unearthed a few Indian gems over the years.
Manish Pandey made a name for himself in the early editions of the IPL at RCB, and became the first Indian to score a century in the cash-rich league. Sarfaraz Khan dazzled audiences all across the world with his cheeky strokeplay and incredible ability at the fag ends of innings.
More recently, Mohammed Siraj shot into national reckoning after featuring for RCB in the IPL. Umesh Yadav revitalised himself in Bangalore and his performances for India improved drastically.
In this article, we take a look at 3 Indian cricketers who owe their careers to RCB.
#3 Navdeep Saini
Navdeep Saini has been in and around the Indian team for many years now, making consistent appearances for the A sides. But the past 2 years at RCB under Indian captain Virat Kohli have catapulted him to the national side, and he has featured in 5 ODIs and 10 T20Is for the Men in Blue.
With tearaway pace and a potent yorker, Saini has all the makings of a great fast bowler. Although he has played only 13 IPL games for RCB and it might be a bit early to say that he owes his career to the team, he has the perfect captain for fast bowlers to play under.
With Kohli expected to lead both teams for many years ahead, we could see the speedster become one of India's prime strike bowlers. Saini is 27 years old and his prime would have passed him by had he not been picked and given opportunities by RCB in the IPL.