RCB, SRH
Yuzvendra Chahal celebrates with RCB teammates [Photo-Twitter]

The Virat Kohli-led RCB got its 2020 IPL campaign off to a winning start as they defeated SunRisers Hyderabad by 10 runs in Dubai on Monday.

The Challengers will now lock horns against KL Rahul-led KXIP, who are coming off a heartbreaking super-over defeat in the last game.

Can RCB continue with their momentum? And what is the playing XI  that they might possibly field in their next game?  Will they persist with Philippe or will they add an overseas seam-bowling all-rounder to their playing XI?

Here’s a look at RCB’s predicted playing XI against KXIP-

 

Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal (Credits: Twitter)

Devdutt Padikkal displayed why he is one of the highly-rated youngsters in the Indian domestic circuit as he enthralled the folklore with a whirlwind 42-ball 56 in his debut game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Padikkal’s onslaught early in the inning gave RCB the platform on which they wen to post an eventual match-winning total of 5-163. The southpaw became the first Indian in 10 years to score a 50 on IPL debut and Virat Kohli-led RCB will be hoping rga the youngster continues to deliver the goods in the next game against KXIP.

 

Aaron Finch

IPL 2020: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab- RCB Predicted XI
Aaron Finch. (Credits: Twitter)

Aaron Finch did not have a particularly good outing in the last game. Even as his younger partner in Padikkal smashed the SRH bowlers all around the park, Finch struggled with his timing, managing a lacklustre 27-ball 29. RCB will hope that the Australian captain regains his rhythm against his former franchise- KXIP- in the next game.

Read More  RCB vs KKR Match Preview- IPL 2024, Match 10

 

Virat Kohli [C]

RCB, Navdeep Saini, Virat Kohli
Navdeep Saini and Virat Kohli [Photo-IPLT20]
Skipper Virat Kohli scored 13-ball 14 in the last game. The Indian superstar, as usual, ran very hard between the wickets before eventually perishing in an attempt to increase the run-rate after his mistimed slog off T Natarajan was caught by Rashid Khan.

 

AB de Villiers [WK]

RCB
AB de Villiers [Photo-Twitter[
AB de Villiers’s admitted in the post-match conference that he even he was surprised with the way he was hitting the ball during his first Dream11 IPL 2020 outing. Don’t think his fans would have been surprised one bit as AB put on another clinic to help hs side post 5-163 in 20 overs. De Villiers finished with a 30-ball 51- an innings which included four 4s and two monstrous sixes.

 

Josh Philippe [WK]/Chris Morris

RCB

Josh Philippe made his IPL debut in the last game but strangely Shivam Dube was sent ahead of the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman in the last game. Philippe ended up with an unbeaten 2-ball 1. His glovework in the last game wasn’t top notch to be honest as he struggled against Yuzvendra Chahal. The youngster will be hoping for a better outing against KXIP.

But will he get another outing? Philippe is primarily a top-order batsman and playing him in the middle-order, given the fact that RCB are already struggling with their pace bowlers does not really benefits anyone. If Philippe is indeed benched and AB takes up the gloves, it gives an opportunity to Kohli to play a seam-bowling all-rounder like Chris Morris or even Isuru Udana.

Read More  KKR Playing 11 vs RCB- IPL 2024, Match 10

 

Shivam Dube

RCB
Shivam Dube [Photo-Twitter]
Shivam Dube may have struggled with the bat during his 8-ball 7 but the all-rounder came back brilliantly to bowl three crucial overs in which he gave away just 15 runs and claiming two wickets in the form of Priyam Garg and Mitchell Marsh. Can he back it up with another good performance?

 

Washington Sundar

RCB
Washington Sundar. Credit: BCCI

Virat Kohli once again showed little faith in off-spinner Washington Sundar in the last game. Manish Pandey greeted Sundar with a monstrous six in his very first over but the off-spinner came back well to concede just seven runs.

However, Kohli did not turn to him for the rest of the game, leaving everyone wondering what exactly is the role of Sundar in this team.

 

Navdeep Saini

RCB
Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini was the pick of the fast bowlers for RCB in the last game. The talented bolter from Karnal jammed his yorker on a consistent basis besides being pretty disciplined with his line and lengths.

Saini formed an ideal foil to Chahal and ended up with match-winning figures of 2-25 in four overs. Saini will once again be Kohli’s trump card in the pace department against KXIP.

 

Dale Steyn

RCB, KXIP
Dale Steyn [Photo-Twitter]
Even though he claimed the last wicket of SRH innings, the champion fast bowler looked like a pale shadow of his former self in the last game as he failed to find any sort of consistency in his line and lengths.

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Steyn conceeded 33 runs in 3.4 overs, something both he and the RCB think-tank will desperately hope, it isn’t the norm in IPL 2020, considering the fact that RCB are grappling for options in the pace-bowling department.

 

Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav (Source: IPL/BCCI)

That Umesh Yadav- the fast bowler and Umesh Yadav- the white-ball seamer are two completely different entities was aptly proved in the last game as the Vidarbha Express failed to find any sort of rhythm to his bowling.

Umesh consistently strangled the ball on the batsmen’s pads and when he wasn’t doing that, he was serve them a proper half-tracker. Umesh conceeded 48 runs in his 4 overs and it was a night that he would want to put behind him as soon as possible.

 

Yuzvendra Chahal

RCB,Yuzvendra Chahal, RCB, SRH
Yuzvendra Chahal [Photo-Twitter]
Yuzvendra Chahal’s magical spell of 4-0-18-3 is the major reason behind RCB getting off to a winning start to their 2020 IPL campaign.

Chahal put on a masterclass of wrist-spin bowling in the last game as he consistently played on the batsmen’s patience before either enticing them for a big shot or bamboozling their stumps with his variations. Chahal did just that against Bairstow and Shankar in his last over the spell to bring the game in the favor of RCB. Post the double-break, SRH suffered a lower-middle-order meltdown as they lost their last 8 wickets for 32 runs.

Also Read- IPL 2020 Match 6: Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Match Prediction