3 players who could have replaced Coulter-Nile instead of Corey Anderson

The 11th season of IPL is slated to kick start from April 7th with arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. With less than two weeks remaining, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have suffered a massive blow as their recruit Nathan Coulter-Nile has been ruled out of the tournament due to an injury.

RCB have chosen the Kiwi all-rounder, Corey Anderson, as their replacement for the Aussie pacer, Nathan Coulter Nile which was confirmed by the IPL technical committee today. A statement was issued by Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach, Dan Vettori also, which stated that "Replacing him(Nathan Coulter Nile) in the squad is the explosive Kiwi all-rounder Corey Anderson. Corey plays a bold game and has incredible potential. We all welcome him to the RCB squad,"

Here goes a list of players who could have replaced Nathan Coulter Nile instead of Corey Anderson:

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#3 David Willey

An English all-rounder with an attacking fast left-arm bowling, David Willey, could have replaced Coulter Nile.

In 20 T20Is he has played for his national team England, Willey has picked 24 wickets in 20 T20Is at an economy rate of 8.6. With batting and bowling, he has an electric fielder on the field. He is one of the under-utilized players in the shortest format of the game. When he plays for England, he is used as a fast bowler. However, when playing for Perth Scorchers, he is used as a proper allrounder who can whack the bowlers at the top of the batting line-up. He has an astonishing strike rate of 143 in BBL 9 which send shivers down the spine of the bowlers.

Although RCB has a stupendous batting line-up, David Willey could have provided the strength to the lower-middle order as it seems to be an area in RCB's lineup that leaves a lot to be desired. His bowling average is only 22, and even his economy rate of 7.83 is decent for someone who bowls in the power play.

Why David Willey?

Along the gnawing pace, he has the accuracy to bowl wicket to the wicket in the powerplay. Moreover, he can add some quick runs to his team's tally at the fag end of the innings.

#2 James Faulkner

The former Rajasthan Royals' all-rounder, James Faulkner went unsold n the auction of 2018. It raised the eyebrows as even Rajasthan Royals also didn't bid for the Aussie all-rounder.

Faulkner possesses a deadly slower yorker, which has bamboozled many a batsman, which dips in at the last moment after initially appearing to be a juicy full toss.

Playing for many franchises in IPL like now-defunct Pune Warriors, Gujarat Lions and homecoming team, Rajasthan Royals, he has picked a total of 59 wickets in 60 matches. Impressive with the bat, he has scored 527 runs with a healthy strike rate of 135+.He could be the one who would have replaced Nathan Coulter Nile instead of Corey Anderson because of his bold play attitude.

Why James Faulkner?

Faulkner has a knack for bowling in the powerplay. Moreover, he is a proven death over specialist in IPL because of slower ball and variations. He also can score runs with his quickfire and power hitting abilities.

#1 Samuel Badree

A wily West Indies leggie, Samuel Badree went unsold in the auction, which surprised everyone. His spin bowling baffled many batsmen, and he is one of those spinners who are not afraid of giving the flight to delivery.

In 45 T20Is matches for the national team, has picked 54 wickets at an impressive economy of 5.98. He drew the attention in IPL when he took the first hattrick of 2017 IPL against Mumbai Indians while playing for the Men in Red and Gold at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. He has also played a significant role in the West Indies team's tournament winning campaign in T20 World Cup 2016.

Why Samuel Badree?

Although Corey is not a wrong choice, RCB could have opted for Samuel Badree. He does not turn the ball much but bowls very accurately. He opens the bowling for West Indies and bowls much of his overs in Powerplay. His skills are highly rated in the shortest format of the game.