IPL 2018: 3 players that RCB should retain 

BCCI recently cleared the air regarding the retention policy and stated that player retention will be in place for the 2018 season. The number of players to be retained by each team will be determined in a meeting with the franchise heads on 21 November 2017.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has always been a strong team on paper, but on the field, they have always been found lacking.

Here are the three players that RCB should retain in the next edition of the IPL.

#1 Virat Kohli

Aggressive captain

Virat Kohli is definitely going to be the first choice for RCB. The Indian skipper has been in the form of his life in the shorter formats of the game, and RCB would not commit the grave error of letting him go.

Kohli has been with RCB since the inception of the IPL. Even though his team failed to create an impact in the last season, Kohli proved his mettle by amassing 308 runs in the 10 matches that he played.

Creating a new team under Kohli's aggressive leadership would be on the franchise owners' minds ahead of the mega auctions next year.

#2 AB de Villiers

Mr. Consistent

AB de Villiers's major recognition and aura in the IPL began when he joined RCB in 2011. Since then, ABD, with his ability to stabilise the innings and accelerate run-scoring, has been their mainstay batsman in the middle order.

He had a mediocre run with RCB last year, scoring just 216 runs in the nine matches that he played. At 33, de Villiers might have reached a point where he cannot quite replicate his previous successes, but his latest innings vs Bangladesh (where he smashed 176 runs) is proof that he is not done yet.

There is enough reason for RCB's franchise owners to invest in a man who has been consistent for them through the years.

#3 Yuzvendra Chahal

Talented young leg spinner

Chahal was bought by RCB in the 2014 auction for just Rs. 10 lakhs. He has gone on to become a regular feature for RCB and also made a breakthrough into the national team.

With the absences of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Chahal has created a name for himself, and the recently-concluded ODI vs New Zealand where he claimed seven wickets is a testament to his talents.

RCB has always been considered a weak bowling side, and building a strong bowling unit around a talented spinner like Chahal should be on the franchise owners' minds.