Royal Challengers Bangalore's balanced squad makes them IPL threat
Usually batsman-heavy, RCB have a stronger group in 2018, with Chris Woakes among a number of talented all-rounders
Wednesday 4 April 2018 17:01, UK
Royal Challengers Bangalore's newfound balance could tip the scales in their favour as they hunt a maiden IPL title, writes Kalika Mehta…
As the Indian Premier League gets set for another spectacular season, the perennial question of whether Royal Challengers Bangalore's star-studded line-up can finally win the coveted trophy has been raised once more.
In the decade since the IPL was launched, RCB have boasted a dizzying array of the world's best batsmen, including Virat Kohli, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers.
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Yet, despite having reached the final three times in the previous nine seasons, Daniel Vettori's side have rarely functioned as a team and more often as exceptional individuals pulling off incredible feats on occasion.
In 2017, they managed just three victories from their 14 group matches and finished bottom of the table. This year, though, a better-balanced RCB may have assembled a team capable of winning their first title.
RCB's batting line-up has always been their strength and they unsurprisingly retained captain Kohli and vice-captain De Villiers, with the pair having hit six centuries in the tournament between them.
Despite allowing Gayle - who hit the highest T20 score of 175 not out in the red Bangalore shirt in 2013 - to leave, they added an impressive opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum.
A lack of penetrative bowlers has been one of RCB's biggest problems, with their ineffectual line-up unable to contain the opposition, often leaving the batsmen with far too much to do.
While at first glance the Southern Indian side may not boast the most fearsome of attacks, the team have retained and acquired a host of players who look more capable of restricting even the best of batsmen.
Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will be crucial to RCB's success, with the attacking leg-spinner having impressed on India's tour to South Africa and in the T20 Tri-series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in March.
England fans will also remember the 27-year-old for his 6-25 as they lost 8-8 in a T20 international a couple of winters ago.
New Zealand seamer Tim Southee is in exceptional form having picked up 12 wickets in the recent Test series against England, while India pair Umesh Yadav and Pawan Negi took 33 wickets between them in last year's IPL, proving their worth as stable middle-over bowlers.
Another key area that RCB have strengthened is with their all-rounders, having purchased England's Chris Woakes and New Zealand's Colin de Grandhomme.
Woakes, in particular, has showcased his effectiveness with bat and ball, with the 29-year-old bagging 17 wickets in the 2017 edition of the IPL, with best figures of 3-6 for the Kolkata Knight Riders against his new team.
De Grandhomme's threat with the ball was evident in his first season in the IPL last year as he too inflicted a superb spell against RCB, taking 3-4 for KKR - he backs up his medium-pace bowling with equally fierce batting.
The Zimbabwe-born player has a strike rate of 167.80 in his 141 T20 matches and has the capability of batting RCB to victory even if their top-order batsmen fail to fire.
Moeen Ali and Washington Sundar round off a strong all-rounder department, giving Kohli more bowling options to turn to then he has had in seasons past.
RCB's coaching line-up is certainly one to be admired, too. Alongside head coach Vettori, India's World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten has joined as the batting coach and they have brought in Ashish Nehra as the bowling coach.
Vettori captained RCB between 2011 and 12, winning 15 of his 28 matches at the helm and has maintained his good relationship with Kohli.
For both player and coach, last season's disastrous run was at great odds with the results they are most accustomed to and having picked well during this year's auction the expectations have been raised once more.
With the best-balanced looking side they have had since the start of the IPL, this looks to be RCB's best opportunity to clinch their maiden trophy.
The thrills and spills of the IPL return on Saturday, with defending champions Mumbai up against the returning Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener, live from 3pm on Sky Sports Cricket. FULL LIVE ON SKY LISTINGS
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