5 reasons why RCB will win IPL 2018

Much like the South African cricket team at the international level, Royal Challengers Bangalore have earned themselves the tag of the IPL’s ‘Chokers’. Either they end up having an outrightly poor season or they blast their way into the playoffs, only to fail at the final hurdle, thus denying them IPL glory.

They are one of the tournament’s most glamorous and entertaining teams of all, and also one of the only three franchises to be initiated with the IPL from the very beginning that has not won a single tournament. RCB will come out all guns blazing even this time around as they hunt for the elusive title.

A win percentage of 48.66 with 72 wins and 76 losses from 153 IPL games does not do justice to the kind of talent that RCB has possessed over the years. Narrowly missing out on a playoff births on two occasions due to their final league match or net run rate issues, and ending up on the losing side in all the three finals they have made it to just shows that luck has not always shone upon them.

Here are five reasons why I believe that RCB will be a force to reckon with in the upcoming season and what factors can help them achieve the coveted prize.

The talismanic Kohli would love to add the IPL feather to his already glittering cap

#1 Virat Kohli

Two words- One man. Virat Kohli is the biggest reason why no team can take RCB lightly. The number one batsman in ODI’s and number two in Tests is scoring runs for fun and it is hard to recall the last time he was not in form. As the Indian captain, he is on a mission to take his team to the numero uno position across all formats.

The only player in the history of the league to have allegiance with a single IPL franchise, Kohli is keener than ever to help crown Bangalore as IPL champions and bring a smile on the fans who consider him to be one of their own.

An aggregator of 4418 runs at a healthy average of 37.44 and a strike rate of a shade under 130, Virat is the second highest run scorer in the league. His four centuries, all in one season, in 2016, are a testament to his adaptability to the shortest format, even though he plays risk-free cricketing shots to score all those runs.

RCB will not just need the batsman Kohli, but his aggressive captaincy and ‘in the face of the opposition’ instincts will underline the boldness with which RCB takes the field. 38 wins and 39 losses in 82 matches as RCB skipper are figures that he can and will surely like to improve upon this season.

Yuzvendra Chahal will be RCB's

X factor

and Kohli's go-to man

#2 The bowling talent pool

RCB, in the past, has always boasted of the most destructive batting order of not just in the IPL, but across all T20 franchises across the globe. Having looked the best batting line-up on paper, it is their bowling that has let them down more often than not.

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, home to the Challengers, is a batsman’s delight. It’s record for the maximum sixes in IPL history further states the fact that it's a batting paradise. The RCB bowlers have found it tough to contain oppositions and even after their batsmen have piled up the misery for opponent bowlers, RCB’s ineffective bowling line-up has faltered in defending totals.

However, this time, the management has strategically acquired the services of world class bowlers who have proved their worth in the T20 format in the past. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Time Southee, Umesh Yadav, and Chris Woakes give them a good pool of fast bowling options.

The backup, in the form of budding Indian talent Mohammad Siraj and Navdeep Saini will bolster their bench, and the presence of Pawan Negi gives them a variety of all bowling combinations.

One cannot underestimate the impact Yuzvendra Chahal will have on this team. His tally of 70 wickets in 55 matches for RCB keeps him at the second position in the list of bowlers with most wickets for the franchise, behind R Vinay Kumar.

Consistent IPL performances forced the Indian selectors to draft him into the national setup, and the wily leg-spinner has taken giant strides in world cricket since then. He will be Virat’s go-to man in crunch match situations just like he has proven it to the Indian team.

The presence of genuine all-rounders bolsters the balance of the team

#3 All bases covered

Always blamed as being top heavy, RCB has now struck a balance with their side. Letting go of the legendary Chris Gayle will be rued by RCB fans, but the fact that they still have the services of Kohli and AB de Villiers in their ranks, makes their batting look as deadly.

To complement the two RCB greats will be destructive wicket-keeper batsman, Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum, one of whom will make the final XI. The retention of Sarfraz Khan and the likes of Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra make up for the lack of depth in the previous seasons.

The greatest change though is the presence of all-round options in the team. Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Colin de Grandhomme, and Washington Sundar (TNPL's highest run scorer with 459 runs at a SR of 154.54 and second highest wicket taker with 15 wickets at an economy rate of 6.16) are all two-dimensional players and provide the much-needed balance to the RCB setup.

Ali has featured in 109 T20's across the world and scored 2109 runs at a strike rate of 128.85 that compliment his 69 wickets, courtesy his accurate off-spin. His compatriot, Woakes, has picked 109 T20 wickets and is a decent lower order hitter who strikes at 134.34. The Kiwi all-rounder, Grandhomme, boasts of a strike rate of 167.80 across his 141 T20 matches and can be very useful while finishing games off.

Taking the field with more than five genuine bowling options will give a lot of relief to captain Virat Kohli. With the bowlers already having been discussed, the team looks a complete package that has the potential to go all the way.

The Sea of Red creates an electric atmosphere at the buzzing Chinnaswamy

#4 Support: Team management and crazy fan base

Daniel Vettori, who assumes the role of head coach, forms a great partnership with Virat Kohli, the duo, having played together for the franchise in the past. In fact, Virat took over the captaincy reigns from the veteran Kiwi cricketer who helped RCB clinch 15 victories in 28 games as captain.

Gary Kirsten, who was the man behind India’s 2011 World Cup success, and veteran Indian bowler Ashish Nehra, who retired from all forms of cricket last year, join the team as it’s batting and bowling coaches respectively. The two stars will also play the role of mentors during the league for the Bangalore boys.

When it comes to fans, Royal Challengers Bangalore boasts of one of the craziest following for teams across the globe. The 40,000 plus crowd gets involved in the Mexican waves and chants of ‘R-C-B’ that do the rounds of the Chinnaswamy on all match days.

Although the team has not returned their support with an IPL trophy in ten long years, RCB fans proudly support them in all their highs and lows.

The legendary partnership of AB- Kohli will help RCB rise from the ashes

#5 Fresh start after the last season woes

IPL 2017 was RCB’s worst year in the history of the tournament. Managing just three wins in the fourteen league games forced them to end at the bottom of the table, a true reflection of the state of the team for which nothing seemed to have gone right.

However, RCB has always been a fighting unit, evident from their 2009 turnaround when they finished as runners-up, after being second last in 2008 (they had won only 3 matches in 2008 as well). The team will immensely benefit from the presence of fierce competitors such as Kohli and de Villiers who shall lead their upward journey this season.

The duo holds the record for the two highest partnerships in IPL history, that of 229 and 215*. The team will heavily depend on them to set challenging totals and also motivate the youngsters, who stand a great learning opportunity with such legends in their dressing room.

A new decade, a new season, and fresh faces in the team will go a long way in forgetting the woes of the past and beginning a successful journey that will see the Men in Red assail opponents and rewrite some pages of IPL history in golden letters.