IPL 2018: 5 Players who RCB should target for IPL 2019

This year's Indian Premier League was one which Virat Kohli would want to forget. The Royal Challengers Bangalore had been making their intent to win their maiden IPL trophy this year very clear and had wrung in the changes with their squad.

They even let go of the hard-hitting Chris Gayle in a bid to add some more consistency to their batting order and improve their chances of winning the title. Kohli himself was very vocal about his disappointment at the side's performance during last year's tournament and made it clear that RCB were seeking to set things right this year.

In the end, RCB would endure yet another miserable tournament this year. The side had been struggling to win their matches and it seemed as if though they would repeat their performance during last year's season. Whilst they did improve in some areas, the team is still very unbalanced and the correct changes need to be made in order for the franchise to become a consistent squad going forward.

Kohli is not someone who likes to lose and he will definitely be looking to set things right during next year's IPL season. This article will look at five players who RCB should consider bringing into their squad to finally end their trophy drought.

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#1 Travis Head

The first player on our list is Travis Head. The hard-hitting Australian has a lot of talent with both bat and ball and would make a useful addition to any team.

His energetic and competitive approach make him a valuable player and his all-round abilities make him a game-changer in more ways than one. He is a useful player to have in the middle order and this is an area where RCB have been struggling during this year's tournament.

Head was not picked up by any of the franchises during this year's IPL auction. This was something which came as quite a bit of a surprise to many fans especially since Head seems to have found his way into becoming a more regular feature for his national side. He does have the ability to accumulate runs in the middle period as well as explode towards the final overs and RCB would do well to have him in their plans.

#2 Morne Morkel

Morne Morkel recently retired from international cricket after the Test series between South Africa and Australia but has shown that he still has a lot to offer any bowling attack. The tall fast bowler went unsold at the IPL auction but this is something which RCB needs to rectify during next year's tournament.

RCB's current pace attack lacks any sort of genuine pace and aggression and this is something which Morne Morkel can provide. Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav have done a decent job but neither of the two have the lethal edge which Morkel brings to his bowling.

His height also makes him a very awkward bowler to face and there are not many other bowlers in world cricket who can quite compete with him in this department. This is something which will make him an X-factor bowler which is very different to the other bowlers at the tournament and really help RCB add some firepower to their bowling attack.

#3 Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram made his debut for the Proteas during their home Test series against Bangladesh. Since then Markram has gone on to face stronger opposition such as India and Australia and has shown that he does indeed possess extraordinary talent.

The Test series against Australia was perhaps Markram's coming of age. He looked to be calm and in control at the crease and played with great amounts of maturity. He is currently in the South African Test squad but the ODI series against India was a clear indication that the South African coaching staff have set their sights on Markram being the next ODI captain.

Although Markram failed to really get going during the ODI series against India, he still showed that he is a talent which needs to be taken seriously. He has already earned himself the title of being the only South African captain to win an ICC World Cup when he led his young side to the under-19 trophy, and it looks like he is set to repeat this with the senior team.

Virat Kohli made it very clear that he was impressed by the young Markram during India's tour to South Africa and including the young man as part of the RCB squad next year might just be something worth considering.

#4 Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan needs no introduction when it comes to the cricketing world. Known for his hard-hitting ability and aggressive style, the Royal Challengers Bangalore may well benefit from Morgan's ability to take the game away from the opposition.

It is not merely his ability to hit the ball to all sides of the cricket ground which make him such a key player. Morgan does have experience in the IPL as well as leadership experience with his national side. This is something which RCB clearly seemed to be lacking whenever their middle order was out to bat without Kohli or de Villiers being present at the crease. The batsmen didn't seem to know how to pace the chase when it came to the final few overs and a batsman such as Morgan can really help to control the innings during the latter stages.

He is a decent player of spin and has the ability to find the gaps and keep the scoreboard ticking. This is a trait which the RCB should find very attractive which might just make Morgan a man who they may want to consider in their plans for next year's tournament.

#5 Chris Gayle

Has there ever been a more destructive batsman in T20 cricket than Chris Gayle? Well, if last year's IPL season was anything to go by, the answer would be a surprising yes.

Gayle had an extremely poor season last year, which led to the Royal Challengers Bangalore letting him go for this year's edition. Other franchises at this year's auction did not seem too keen to recruit the services of the big-hitting opening batsmen either, with him being a last-minute pick by the Kings XI Punjab.

However, Gayle remains a fearsome batsman and one poor season does not define his potential. Being let go by his former franchise team was a bitter pill to swallow, and he undoubtedly proved his critics wrong this season with his performances for the Kings XI Punjab.

There are many people who are of the opinion that Gayle is past his prime and that he is no longer the destructive batsman that he used to be. His performances tell a completely different story. He does need to show a bit more consistency with his performances but he will always be a player who can turn a match on its head at any moment and someone who RCB should bring back into the fold.