IPL 2018: 5 batsmen who can fulfil the opening duties for Royal Challengers Bangalore

Having enjoyed ten successful years, IPL is all set to become the centre of attraction this summer. With the eleventh edition of IPL just 40 days away, all the teams would be more or less looking forward to churning out the best possible combinations of playing 11 from their squad.

One team that is looking strong on paper this year is Royal Challengers Bangalore. With a variety of players in the mix, team selection will be an uphill task for RCB.

Let us have a look at the top five contenders for the opening spots for RCB in this year's IPL.

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#5 Parthiv Patel

The elegant batsman from Gujarat has been one of the best openers in the domestic format. Having played so much of IPL and domestic cricket, Parthiv is a decent fit for Royal Challengers Bangalore's opening spot.

With no Chris Gayle this time, RCB might open the innings with Parthiv as a potential left-hander. In addition to that, Parthiv's exquisite timing and freestyle batting make him a reliable choice for the Bangalore franchise.

Parthiv Patel has featured in 119 IPL matches so far, scoring 2322 runs at a decent average of 21.70 and above par strike rate of 117.21.

#4 Manan Vohra

RCB's recruit from Punjab, Manan Vohra, is one of the most talented players in the domestic circuit. Manan Vohra has scored 957 runs in IPL from 45 matches at an average of 24.53 and a respectable strike rate of 132.73.

His decent performances in the IPL have gone rather unnoticed as the former Kings XI Punjab man was bought for a bargain amount of ₹1.1 crore. He has featured mostly as an opener for his previous side and RCB might assign the same duty to him.

#3 Quinton de Kock

Every once in a while, usually a very long while, there comes a player who manages to capture your imagination. Quinton de Kock is one such talent from South Africa.

Quinton de Kock is another choice for RCB who can fill the opening the slot, having done the same for former franchise Delhi Daredevils. De Kock is one player who can play the flashy shots and lead the side to a quick start.

Quinton de Kock enjoys a decent IPL record. Having played 26 IPL matches, De Kock has scored 726 runs at an astounding average of 29.04 and a good strike rate of 132.24.

#2 Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum, the explosive batsman from New Zealand, has been one of the most popular faces during the tenure of IPL which begun with a swashbuckling innings of 158 runs in the opening match of the first edition of IPL.

His explosive traits batting up the order make him an ideal choice for the opening spot. Thus, Brendon McCullum might be that trump card for RCB who can provide them good starts regularly in the first six overs of powerplay.

Brendon McCullum has so far starred in 104 IPL matches and has scored 2754 runs at an apt average of 28.10 and a high strike rate of 131.08.

#1 Virat Kohli

One man who automatically features on the list is Virat Kohli. The RCB captain is arguably the best batsman in the world across all formats. Kohli has already opened the innings for Bangalore before and commendably so.

His 973 runs in the 2016 edition of IPL is the most by any batsman in the history of IPL. Hence, the RCB captain would be looking to continue his exploits as an opener in the upcoming season of IPL as well.

Virat Kohli has so far starred in 149 IPL matches and has scored 4418 runs at a brilliant average of 37.44 and a decent strike rate of 129.82.