Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted Playing XI If Only Indian Players Played In The IPL

Royal Challengers Bangalore have made inroads in the last two seasons and their auction strategies have been spot on while picking players for certain roles in the team. However, they lack the depth in the squad that other franchises have and their Indian contingent on the bench doesn’t have much experience.

Royal Challengers Bangalore hasn’t managed to win an IPL trophy yet and they have found out the key to success has been sticking with the same team for a long time. They came very close in 2016 to the finals but couldn’t get over the line and they will need to work on winning the crunch moments. Here is the Royal Challengers Bangalore predicted playing XI if only Indian players played in the IPL.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted Playing XI:

Devdutt Padikkal:

Devdutt Padikkal has been phenomenal with his batting in the last two editions for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he has been one of the youngsters to watch out for in the future. The left-hander scored 195 runs in the 6 games he played this season and scored his maiden IPL century against the Rajasthan Royals. His consistency in the domestic circuit and IPL has been of the highest standard.

Virat Kohli(C):

Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen in all the formats if not the best and the Indian skipper is expected to captain the franchise too. He hasn’t been in the best of forms and his century drought is very rare as he sets the bars really high for him always. He is one of the greatest match-winners of the last decade and he should open with Padikkal at the top.

Rajat Patidar:

Rajat Patidar made his IPL debut this season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he was given the responsibility to bat at number three for the franchise. He did a decent job and needs few more games to prove himself. He played four games scoring 71 runs and seemed like he is very comfortable with the pace coming onto the bat.

Sachin Baby:

Sachin Baby has been part of various IPL franchises in the past but had been sitting on the sidelines for a long time now and the former Kerala captain can do the job at number four for the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. He provides a left-hand option in the middle order too and there have been no doubts about his potential. He is one of the excellent fielders going around in the domestic circuit.

Mohammed Azharuddeen(WK):

Mohammed Azharuddeen was one of the shining stars of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and he was very explosive at the start for the Kerala team. He scored an unbeaten 137 in the tournament earlier and was in the spotlight during the auction. He was expected to start in the playing XI but hasn’t got any chances so far and he can donne the wicket-keeping gloves for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.

Shahbaz Ahmed:

Shahbaz Ahmed couldn’t contribute much with the bat but turned around a game to win from the verge of defeat this year with his left-arm spin. He picked up 4 wickets in the 5 games and was used in the team as the sixth bowler on most occasions. He has been backed by the franchise at number three too at times and hence, he should make the playing XI of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad.

Washington Sundar:

Washington Sundar did not have the best of outings with bat or ball this season and he was dropped from the playing XI in their last game. Sundar is a better bowler in the powerplay and he can control the run flow from his end. He does have the capability to bat higher but he needs to adjust according to the situation and should be more measured in his approach. He will play as the off-spinning all-rounder in the side.

Harshal Patel:

Harshal Patel was the best bowler in the IPL 2021 and RCB finally, found an Indian bowler who picked up regular wickets for the franchise. He was traded from the Delhi Capitals and he ended up picking 17 wickets in the 7 games. He has been a sensation for the franchise this year but was expensive on occasions which he needs to be wary of. He can hit the long balls too down the order.

Navdeep Saini:

Navdeep Saini missed a lot of games this year as Harshal Patel was preferred ahead of him and he has been slightly out of form in the last 3 months too. His raw pace has been missing and he wasn’t in the squad for the test tour to England. He needs to make sure that he brings his A-game into tact and work on his shortcomings in the meantime to be back in reckonings.

Mohammed Siraj:

Mohammed Siraj has had an extraordinary six months in the international setup and he has brought confidence into the IPL too. He has taken the new ball and shaped it both ways and he has been more mature as a fast bowler with the line and lengths he has been bowling. He has become an important bowler in the Indian test squad and has made his opportunities count.

Yuzvendra Chahal:

Yuzvendra Chahal was the standout bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise until this year where he had struggled to pick up wickets and has been on the expensive side too. He picked up just 4 wickets in the 7 games he played which is a very rare sight for the leg spinner, but he is a match-winner and is very clever with his variations. He needs to be more clear with his fields and Royal Challengers Bangalore will expect a lot from him.