IPL 2018 Auction: 5 overseas players Royal Challengers Bangalore should target 

The IPL is entering its second decade and the most exciting news so far has been the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after a suspension of two years.

RCB are looking to start afresh in IPL 2018 and have roped in India's 2011 World Cup-winning coach, Gary Kirsten, and Ashish Nehra, as their batting and bowling coaches respectively. They will be looking to refresh the side and use their RTM on the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and KL Rahul, perhaps, instead of Gayle.

With 1,122 players from different countries registering themselves, here is a list of 5 players who are the ideal choices for RCB.

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5) Mitchell Starc

Starc was part of the RCB franchise since 2014 but played only two tournaments for them. He missed the entire 2016 season as he was recovering from a foot injury. In 2014, he took 14 at 28.71 apiece, with an economy of 7.49, and in 2015 he claimed 20 wickets at 14.55 apiece with an economy of 6.76.

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mitchell Starc had parted ways ahead of the 2017 IPL season. RCB have always struggled to get their bowling combinations right. Starc could be the solution to that problem.

4) Kagiso Rabada

Rabada has been the Proteas' best pacer over the last couple of years as the right-arm pacer has dominated the batsmen around the world with his raw speed and accuracy. Daredevils signed the 22-year-old in last year's auction and the pacer played in a few games before leaving to join South Africa for their ODI series against England.

Rabada has played 6 matches in IPL and has bagged 6 wickets. He also can bat well if the situation demands and has a best score of 44 runs.

If the RCB team management is looking for a fast bowler to spearhead their bowling attack, then Kagiso Rabada is the best option for them.

3) Ben Cutting

The Australian fast bowler was instrumental in Sunrisers’ title win in 2016, putting up a Man of the Match performance in the final. He has shown glimpses of rattling the batsmen with his bouncers and can be handy with the bat too.

He has picked up 7 wickets and has scored 124 runs in 9 matches with a strike rate of nearly 190. RCB should buy the player, as he is a lower order productive batsman too.

2) Quinton De Kock

The South African wicket-keeper batsman is one of the best limited-overs players in the world. He proved his worth in the 2016 edition of the IPL, having scored 445 runs at 37.08 that also included a best score of 108.

He has mostly done well in Indian conditions. Being a top order batsman and a safe wicketkeeping option as well, de Kock will be a highly sought-after player in the auction for RCB.

1) Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis has made a name for himself in the T20 arena with his explosive hitting at the top of the order. The 26-year-old is one of the finest T20 players in the world at the moment and his record in the format is nothing short of outstanding. However, he has never featured in the Indian Premier League but that looks likely to change this year.

He has three T20 hundreds to his name in 84 matches and has an overall strike rate of 146.06. He smashed 371 runs in 12 matches in the last edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and his stocks are expected to go up and up in this IPL edition.

With short boundaries at RCB's home ground, they could certainly use a hard hitter at the top of the order and Lewis certainly fits that criteria. He has the ability to take the game away from the opposition single-handedly and will be the ideal replacement for Chris Gayle.