Before the start of the season, no one would have thought that the Royal Challengers Bangalore would be the first team to be eliminated from the contest. No one would have thought that a team led by Virat Kohli, which was the first team to qualify for the finals last year, would succumb to such a fate.
Their top run-scorer is Kedar Jadhav with only 241; on the overall list, he is 15th. That, in itself, is evidence as to where the problem lies.
Extra Cover: IPL 2017 RCB vs KXIP: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) today's probable playing 11 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Stuck right at the bottom of the pile, the team still has three games to go and it can still create flutters by upsetting the playoff hopefuls. Today, the side returns to its home ground to take on the Kings XI Punjab.
Here is RCB’s predicted XI for the match:
Openers
Chris Gayle
The West Indian opener is someone who can destroy any bowling attack in the world on his day. True, he has been far from his best in the recent past, but still, if there was ever a time when the RCB fans wanted to experience a Gayle Storm, it is now. He has been dropped for a couple of games meaning he will be wounded. And Gayle is at his most dangerous when he is wounded.
Virat Kohli
Kohli is the reason why the RCB fans still flock to the stadium even though their team has no chance of making it to the playoffs. On the field, he is the only batsman who has been able to perform. But on most occasions, he has found himself bereft of partners and the burden has been too much. Kohli knows that the team will rely on him once again, and he will certainly give his all in the remaining matches.
Middle Order
AB de Villiers
The South African superstar has had an extremely poor season with the bat (apart from his knock against today’s opponents, Kings XI Punjab in his first match). He performed well in the last game, scoring a quickfire 43 as he regained some form. He has the ability to decimate any bowler and the fans will be hoping for some of that.
Travis Head
The Australian is likely to get another match under his belt, given RCB’s problems with the bat. He has not been particularly impressive, getting very few starts. However, he has failed to convert the starts into big scores. He will be hoping to get past that hurdle and contribute to an unlikely victory.
Kedar Jadhav (wk)
Other than Kohli, the only other batsman who has been able to perform on a consistent basis for RCB is Kedar Jadhav. He has been in good touch right from the start of the season, and will surely keep his place in the line-up. He has proved to be a capable finisher and can stabilise the innings in case of a collapse.
Harpreet Singh
Named as a replacement for the injured Sarfraz Khan, Harpreet Singh is yet to get a game for RCB. The Madhya Pradesh batsman had a terrific domestic season, top scoring in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament and will be raring to go if given the chance. Given RCB’s batting woes, he might be given a chance ahead of Sachin Baby or Stuart Binny.
All-rounders
Pawan Negi
The all-rounder has been able to perform with the ball in the matches he has featured in so far. With those good performances, he has cemented a first team place and will be looking to carry on his good form. Among the RCB bowlers, he has the best economy rate and will be vital in stifling the flow of runs in the middle overs.
Bowlers
Samuel Badree
He started off with a bang by picking up a hat-trick in his first game of the season and has continued to perform well. In just 5 matches, he has picked up 9 wickets at an economy rate of 7.05 and should return to the team at the expense of Shane Watson.
Sreenath Arvind
The left-arm medium pacer has impressed with his disciplined bowling towards the death. However, he struggled in the last match and hence will look to regain some form today. He has been one of the more consistent players to have played for the RCB and is likely to play the remaining three matches as well.
Aniket Choudhary
The medium pacer has not got the kind of opportunity he would have hoped for so far. In the three matches he has featured, he has picked up two wickets. In spite of that, his encouraging show in the last game might be enough to earn him another start today.
Yuzvendra Chahal
The young leg-spinner has been poor over the last few games and that has cost RCB dear. However, Chahal has been one of the most consistent performers for the team over the last two years and should be in the line-up. His ability to pick up wickets at crucial junctures and break partnerships will definitely come in handy.
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